Kim Possible : Future Imperfect
by MondoMage
Summary: Summary : A future version of Kim Possible travels back through time to wreak bloody vengeance upon those who destroyed her life. UPDATE : Old chapters revised, new chapter added, more chapters to come soon, honest!
1. Prologue

Summary : A future version of Kim Possible travels back through time to wreak bloody vengeance upon those who destroyed her life. Can Kim and Ron stop her rampage? Or will they, too, be caught in the crosshairs?

This is a revised release : I've been away from this story for quite a while, and now that I'm back, I've gone back through a tweaked a few things to better match what I've got planned. Sorry for the delays in continuing this story.

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KIM POSSIBLE: FUTURE IMPERFECT

Prologue

"What the Future Holds"

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Death lurked in the night.

An icy wind howled against the outside of the warehouse, causing crumbling ceiling trusses to groan in eerie harmony. A fine haze of dust drifted through the air, illuminated by the dim lights overhead, blown into spirals and whorls by chill drafts entering through boarded-up windows.   
Mountains of containers and boxes dotted the interior like icebergs rising from a concrete sea, casting long, dark shadows upon the interior of the building.

A side door burst open and a man staggered through the opening. He was dressed in a long, slate-gray overcoat that was spattered with blood. A light blue scarf was wrapped around his neck, the blood-soaked ends blowing wildly in the wind that blew in through the doorway. His   
balding head, only lightly fringed by a ring of silvery hair, was bare. His hands were gloved, the right holding a 9-millimeter pistol, the left a small metal sphere.

Unsuccessfully suppressing a violent shudder that had nothing to do with the near-zero temperatures, the man reached up and wiped his forehead with a sleeve, inadvertently smearing blood across his face. He then turned, put his shoulder against the door and - with no small   
amount of effort - forced it closed, sealing out the freezing gale, sealing himself inside, away from the hunter that pursued him.

He turned quickly, eyes darting to and fro as he scanned the shadows, trying vainly to pierce the gloom with his failing eyes. Seeing nothing but shadows and darkness, hearing nothing but the roar of the storm outside, feeling nothing but the icy tingle of numbed flesh, the man staggered   
deeper into the interior of the structure.

Reaching what he hoped was a secluded spot, he leaned against a wooden crate and gasped for breath, every exhalation billowing out in wispy clouds that hung over his head like a shroud. He cursed his clumsiness at dropping the satellite phone, but the suddenness of the attack had caught   
him and his staff completely off guard. He snorted. What had once been his staff, at least. He doubted any of them were still alive. What a waste of talent. And he was next. His fist tightened around the pistol.

Somewhere inside the building, glass shattered. With it went the last of his resolve. He stepped away from the crate he had been leaning against and turned toward the door. A startled gasp escaped his lips as he stumbled backwards.

Standing before him was a shadowy figure, dressed entirely in a black form-fitting outfit. A similarly black bandolier covered with cargo pouches stretched from right shoulder to left waist, where it met a wide belt that was also studded with storage pouches. A close-fitting black hood   
covered the individual's entire head, revealing nothing but a pair of eyes and a short ponytail of red hair that emerged from the back of the hood. Yes, definitely a "her" - the shapes and curves that the outfit revealed left little doubt in that regard. That fact did nothing to reassure him as she dropped down into a martial-arts stance with practiced, almost feline, ease.

"Wha-what do you want?" he stammered, stepping back. "Who are you?"

Saying nothing in return, the woman moved closer. It was then that he got a good look at her eyes. Those emotionless, unfeeling emerald eyes. Realization dawned. He'd heard stories - nightmares, really - about those eyes, and the woman behind them. The one everyone called "The   
Reaper."

The world flashed red around him.

He screamed.

----

Global Justice agent Will Du raced across the street, followed closely by a squad of eight heavily-armed agents, praying that the moonless night and harsh weather would keep any civilians inside where it was nice and warm, and away from the operations area. As they approached the personnel door that opened into the warehouse he motioned silently. The squad split into two groups of four. One group continued to follow him, while the other broke off and sprinted towards the large overhead door in the distance. He ran up to the door and motioned again. The four agents following him assumed a standard opposed-entry formation.

He crouched in front of the door and pulled a small cylindrical device from his pocket. Placing one end of the thermal imager against the door, he leaned forward and looked into the other end. A quick scan of the building's interior revealed nothing unusual. He looked again and noticed   
something he had missed the first time. A faint heat source, apparently human. In the distance, sitting on the ground and leaning up against an interior wall or other structure. He watched for several moments, but the shape did not move. Agent Du glanced down at his wrist-mounted   
tracker - it was pointing inside the building.

Agent Du allowed himself a small smile as he pocketed the imager, then he keyed his throat mike. "Control, we have a potential posit on target Tango Victor Three. Sector three-zero-one-delta, grid reference nineteen alpha. Preparing to enter structure now."

"Affirmative, Agent Du," a female voice replied. "Proceed with caution. Intel indicates that target Kappa Romeo One may be in the area. Acknowledge?"

His eyes widened slightly at the news. _'Wonderful.'_ he mused silently. Control queried again. "Roger, Control," he said aloud, "We'll keep an eye out." He reached down for the door handle, paused, and slowly withdrew his hand. He turned and pointed to one of the squad members, then   
at the wall. The agent stepped forward and brought a wide-barreled weapon to bear. Agent Du and the others turned away and there was a tremendous BANG! When he turned back he saw that a ragged, man-sized hole had been blown through the cinder block wall.

Agent Du nodded in satisfaction, pulled out a small submachine gun, then motioned towards the opening. He ran forward and leapt through the hole, with the rest of the squad following close behind. Weapon at the ready, he quickly scanned the area for any sign of potential threats as he   
moved across the floor of the warehouse with the combination of speed and stealth that only many years of training could bring. The group quickly closed the distance to the target, which was hidden behind a tall stack of cardboard boxes.

As they neared the target's hiding place Agent Du detected the faint but unmistakable stench of burnt flesh. He frowned and motioned for two of his squad to circle around the right side of the stack, while he and the remaining agent moved to the left. He tightened his grip on his weapon   
and stepped clear of the boxes.

"Damn," he breathed. "Damn it all."

Doctor Timothy Vector was indeed sitting with his back against the stack of boxes. He was also very, very dead. Smoke and steam rose from a fist-sized hole that had been burned through his chest. His head hung at an odd, impossible angle. His face bore the wide-eyed horror it had held   
upon death. The half-melted remains of his pistol were still clenched tightly in his hand. The capsule, however, was nowhere in sight.

Agent Du spun around. "Search the area! We need to find that device, now! Move!" As the squad scattered he keyed his throat mike. "Control, we have a problem. Tango Victor Three is dead. We are searching for the data capsule now, but it appears that someone beat us to it."

"Acknowledged, Agent Du," came the reply. "Be advised that Bravo team has located the lab. The lab has been destroyed, and all personnel terminated."

He sighed. "I see. Any indication of the perpetrators?"

There was a significant pause. "Affirmative. The available evidence seems to indicate Kappa Romeo One as the likely perpetrator."

"Acknowledged. Out." He turned towards the body of Doctor Vector and quickly searched it, finding nothing but an unopened pack of cigarettes, a small Zippo lighter, and ninety-three cents. Sighing in frustration, he rose to his feet and waited for his squad to return. "Anything?" he called out.

"Negative, sir," came the reply. "One open roof vent, nothing more. Whoever else was here, looks like they're gone now."

"I figured as much." Agent Du pulled off his wool cap and ran a hand through his salt-and-pepper hair. "She wouldn't stick around. Not her style."

One of his agents walked up. "Who's style, sir?"

Du replaced his cap. "Never mind, it's not important." Glancing around the silent warehouse he added, "What a mess."

----

The cemetery lay quiet, blanketed under a thick layer of snow that glittered in the daylight. Will Du walked solemnly among the headstones and burial vaults, hands clasped behind his back, following the single set of tracks that led through the snow. The steady crunching of his footsteps   
echoed loudly through the still morning air. Fortunately, he had decided against attempting a stealthy approach.

The tracks seemed to pause at a headstone carved in the shape of an angel. The angel's hands had been cleared of snow, and a single white rose placed there. He glanced down at the name carved into the base of the marker. "Ah, Monique," he said. "Of course." He murmured a quiet prayer, then continued following the tracks in the snow.

Turning a corner, he spotted his quarry and slowly closed the distance. Stopping ten paces distant, he said quietly, "Hello, Kim."

"Will," she acknowledged, not turning from where she knelt in front of a black marble headstone, four white roses lying on top where the snow had been cleared away. "Fancy meeting you here."

"I know the significance of the date for you." He shrugged. "I thought I'd find you here." More softly, he added, "My condolences."

She didn't immediately reply. Instead, she rose slowly to her feet, eyes fixed on the graves in front of her. He took the opportunity to look her over. Dressed all in black, as usual. Knee-high riding boots. Denim trousers. Leather jacket. No gloves. A wool cap was pulled down over her   
ears, her hair poking out from under it, not quite reaching her shoulders. Quite like her mother wore her hair. Well, used to.

She brushed snow from her knees before turning to regard him with a wary gaze. "What do you want?"

"To talk." he replied. She raised an eyebrow and he spread his hands, palms up. "Honestly."

She turned and began walking. "Talk is cheap."

He waited a beat before following behind her. "Not always. And besides, what could it hurt?"

"You'd be surprised." She looked back at him. "I've got things to do, so if you don't mind, spare me the pleasantries. What do you want?"

He paused by the headstone marking where her family lay interred and offered a silent prayer. Then he hurried to catch up with Kim, who had continued walking. "Like I said, I came to talk."

She chuckled humorlessly. "Somehow I doubt that. Considering what happened yesterday, I'd wager this is about Doctor Vector and his precious experiment." She stopped in front of another gravesite. Bending down, she began brushing snow away from the small stone marker, which lay flush with the ground. He waited silently as she worked. Then, apparently satisfied, she turned her head and looked at him, her face showing no emotion whatsoever. "You've come to stop me, right? Neutralize me? Isn't that what you call it?"

He paused, surprised at her bluntness. "That's not why I'm here," he said, hoping she didn't see through the half-truth. "What you've been doing, Kim, it won't bring them back." He motioned to the grave at her feet. "It won't bring him back."

"It's not about bringing them back, Will." She reached out and gently, lovingly brushed her fingertips across the name enscribed on the marker. "It's about justice."

"Justice, or revenge?" he asked.

"Is there a difference?" She smiled up at him. "Besides, how can it be revenge when all the people I would want to wreak my vengeance upon are long dead?"

"By your hand." He pointed out.

"Funny you would put it that way," she said, glancing down at her right hand and flexing the fingers. "Besides, does it really matter what I call it?" She pulled a small red rose from under her jacket and placed it gently atop the marker. "You've already made up your mind. Why else would you be armed?"

_'Damn. So much for the element of surprise.'_ He shook his head. "This isn't about me, Kim. It's about them. It's about him. It's about you trying to make up for the sins of the past through murder and destruction."

"Sins of the past? So now it's a religious thing?" she laughed. "I lost my faith a long time ago, Will. In God, and in human nature."

"And that excuses what you've done?"

She shrugged. "You hear me making any excuses?"

"That's not what I meant." He took a step closer to her. "You said it yourself - all the people who did you wrong are dead. The ones who did this" he motioned to the cemetery around them, "are dead. Call it justice or revenge, they all paid their dues in blood. But you haven't stopped. You've gone mercenary on us, Kim. And for what? Justice? I doubt it." Will paused, briefly pondering the wisdom of what he was about to say. "The things you do now, it's about revenge. About making up for things that went wrong years ago. But it doesn't change anything, Kim. You can't change what happened. You can't change the past."

She spun to face him, eyes ablaze. "That's where you're wrong, Will. That's where you're wrong!" She rose to her feet and stepped towards him with such intensity that he almost fell backwards in surprise. "'The future is what you make it,'" she said. "I remember hearing that. Or reading it. Whatever. At the time I thought it was rather simplistic. But now... let's just say that I've learned to look at things a bit differently."

"I don't understand."

"Of course not," she replied. "I didn't understand either, not until recently. Not until I saw some of Vector's work. Saw the potential in it. It got me to thinking about my life. My reason for doing what I do. My purpose, as it were. Like you said, I can't bring them back, can't change what happened." Her eyes seemed to glow, glimmering even in the daylight. "Or should I say, couldn't."

His mouth went dry. He began to regret not asking for backup. "What?" he croaked.

"Global Justice funded him, Will. You mean to tell me that you don't even know what it was he was researching?"

"Well, yes, of course I know," he replied, mind racing. What was she getting at? "But his work was all theoretical."

"Wrong again, Will," she corrected, waving a finger at him. "He moved beyond theory a while ago."

Will felt his face go pale. "That's impossible. We would have known!"

"Suffice it to say the good Doctor was skilled at keeping secrets." She shrugged. "Well, from Global Justice, at least."

He swallowed with some difficulty. "And this means that you...?" he asked, leaving the sentence unfinished, dreading what she might say next.

"I'm going to save them. I'm going to save all of them. Doctor Vector made it possible. It was so nice of him to give me the key." She broke into a smile that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand straight. "He had such a good heart, don't you think? Shame I had to break it. Along with most of his ribs." She turned away from him, glancing down at the marker at her feet. "And his neck."

Will reached for his sidearm, suddenly convinced that the profilers had been all too correct about Kim's mental state. Before he could unholster the weapon she spun and brought her right arm up so quickly that it seemed to move in a blur. He found himself staring at her open palm, which flashed and was suddenly engulfed in a globe of roiling red flame. No, not flame, he realized. Plasma. She had a plasma generator. _Damn._

He froze, then slowly spread his arms wide. "Upgrade?" he asked slowly.

"The wonder of modern prosthetics," she replied with a nod, the smile never having left her face. "Got the idea from Shego, took it a few steps further. Like it?"

"It's..." He hesitated, searching for an appropriate word. There had been nothing in any of the reports about a plasma generator. Apparently Doctor Vector wasn't the only person skilled at keeping secrets. "It's unexpected."

"I know. I like to be full of surprises. Keep people on their toes. That sort of thing."

"I noticed," he replied, wondering what else she was hiding. "What now?"

Her smile turned to a frown. "I don't know. I could kill you, I suppose. Probably be easier to kill you. You have a knack for finding me. It's annoying." Eyes focused on him, plasma-wielding hand never wavering, she slowly knelt down and, with her free hand, placed something else upon the marker.

"If you kill me, Global Justice will spare no expense hunting you down," he said slowly.

"They're free to try," she answered. "Lots of people have. Not that it did any of them much good."

"They will find you. It's only a matter of time, Kim."

"Exactly!" she exclaimed, startling him. "It's all a matter of time! Time! That's the key to everything! Nobody ever has enough of it. Never enough. Then along comes Doctor Tim Vector and now, well, I've got a lot of it to spare. Unlike, for example, _**you**_." A feral smile spread across her lips.

"Wait, Kim! You don't have to-" he shouted.

The plasma sphere flared into a blinding brilliance too painful to look at and he was forced to avert his eyes. A kaleidoscope of blazing colors danced in front of his eyes. "Then again," she continued, "Maybe I won't kill you. This time. 'The future is what you make it,' Will. I'm going to remake it. You'll see. I'll make it all good again. You'll see."

"But how-"

Her voice began to fade. "Goodbye, Will. See you around." Then, even quieter, "Look me up if you get the time."

"Wait, what does that mean? Kim?" he called out, blinking to clear his vision. "Kim!"

She was gone.

"Damn," he muttered. "Now what's she up to?" He walked over to the gravesite Kim had doted upon. "Forgive me, Ron," he said softly, peering down at the second item Kim had laid atop the marker.

A watch. Small, masculine style, brown and black in color. Nothing special about it. He picked it up, turned it over. On the back was enscribed "Doctor Timothy Vector. Congratulations. Love, Mom." Turning the watch back over, something caught his eye. Looking closer, he realized that the readout was counting backwards, running in reverse. He pressed a button, displayed the date.

Will Du stood bolt upright. "Beyond theoretical," he whispered. "Oh, no."

He turned and raced out of the cemetery.

He had to stop her.

If only he knew how.

----

End Prologue


	2. Chapter 1 : Prelude

This is a revised release : I've been away from this story for quite a while, and now that I'm back, I've gone back through a tweaked a few things to better match what I've got planned. Sorry for the delays in continuing this story.

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KIM POSSIBLE: FUTURE IMPERFECT

Chapter One

"Prelude"

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Brilliant light. Icy coldness. The stink of ozone. Pain.

"-rth to KP. Anybody home?"

Kim Possible blinked, turning her head slightly to look at her best friend and crime-fighting partner Ron Stoppable, who was sitting across from her and waving a hand in front of her face. His pet naked mole rat, Rufus, was perched on his shoulder, imitating Ron's actions and softly squeaking "Anybody home?" in unison with his owner.

Kim straightened and looked around, momentarily disoriented. She was sitting in the high school cafeteria. She rubbed her hands over her arms, which had broken out in goose bumps. "What?"

"You zoned out there for a minute, KP." Ron explained, cocking his head slightly to one side. "You feeling okay?"

"I... I'm not sure." she replied, putting a hand to her head. What had just happened? She had been sitting with Ron, talking about her upcoming date with Josh, and then she had.... what? She shook her head slightly, then looked at Ron again. "I'm sorry, Ron. I don't know what came over me there."

"You got that look on your face that I get during Barkin's class," Ron said, stabbing his fork into the rubbery lump masquerading as meatloaf on his plate. "You sure you're okay?"

She smiled at him, the odd feeling that had swept over her fading from her memory. "I'm fine, Ron. Thanks."

"It's no big," he smiled back before shoving a large piece of meatloaf into his mouth.

"Slide over there, would you Kim?" a new voice said. Kim turned to find her friend Monique standing behind her with a tray.

"Sure, Monique." Kim slid over quickly, giving Monique plenty of room to sit down beside her.

Monique placed her tray on the table and quickly sat next to Kim, nodding a silent greeting to Ron, who was busy shovelling mashed potatoes into his mouth. "I can't quite muster that much enthusiasm over a school lunch, especially today." Monique stated, turning to face Kim. "What about.... are you okay?"

Kim sighed. "Why is everyone asking me that?"

"Girl, your face is all flushed and your hands are shaking." Monique narrowed her eyes in concern. "Are you coming down with something?"

Kim looked down at her plate, which had thus far remained untouched. "Now that you mention it, I don't have much of an appetite, either. Maybe I am coming down with something, after all."

Ron looked up from his meal, concern evident on his face. "Think it's contagious?"

Kim smiled at him. "I'm sure it's nothing serious, Ron."

Monique smiled as well. "Perhaps she's just got pre-date jitters."

Ron and Rufus both made a face at that.

----

She stood silently in the empty house, breathing deeply, inhaling the familiar-yet-forgotten scents that permeated every nook and cranny. She lovingly caressed the photos adorning the walls, pausing to examine each one, careful not to disturb them lest she betray her presence. Pictures of a family, her family, the people most important to her. They were the reason she had come back. Turning away from the pictures she clenched her hands into fists. _No, this time it **will** be different._ she thought.

_If only Will hadn't interfered,_ she mused. If only he hadn't shown up at the worst possible moment and tried to stop her. If only he hadn't knocked the control from her grasp. Fortunately, she hadn't missed the intended time period by too much, arriving a full 5 years further back than she had wanted. _Better earlier than later, I suppose._

She wandered through the house, stopping in each room, letting the sights and smells wash over her. The kitchen, the dining room, the living room, each one held special memories and long-forgotten emotions. She lingered in the twin's room, smiling at the chaotic scattering of clothing and assorted gadgets that they had created. An unwanted memory bubbled to the surface and her mood instantly darkened. Turning quickly, she stepped out of the room and closed the door.

She walked apprehensively into her parent's room, eyes downcast and solemn, not really wanting to but knowing that it was something that had to be done. She fought back the wave of recollections that bombarded her, refusing to allow them to swamp her. She paused at the door, eyes drifting across the pictures arranged on her mother's dresser, a sorrowful smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

When she entered her old room, however, the weight of events threatened to overwhelm her and she was forced to her knees. Clutching her sides as the old wounds throbbed and ached, she suppressed a groan and forced down the bile that rose in her throat. She rolled into a fetal position and slowly rocked back and forth, fighting against the images that tore through her mind. Flashing green, dripping red, thrusting pain.

She fought down the tide with a savage growl. Slowly climbing to her knees, panting softly, hands shaking slightly, her eyes focused on a newspaper lying on the floor near the bed. A photo on the front page caught her attention. She picked up the paper and read the article quickly, a frown spreading across her features.

"So," she whispered, "Junior's having a birthday party." She put the paper back where she had found it and stood up, stretching slowly as she did so. Turning towards the computer, she flexed her fingers. "Guess I'll have to find myself a ride."

----

The scene inside the Bueno Nacho was one of an animalistic feeding frenzy.

Kim cocked an eyebrow as Ron started working on his seventh chimmarito with unwavering gusto. Beside him, Rufus was busy devouring a bowl of cheese-covered nacos, matching Ron's satisfied noises with his own. Kim watched with a mixture of disgust and amusement as both Ron and Rufus finished simultaneously, leaned back, and groaned contentedly.

"Where in the world do you put all that?" she asked, deciding that it was safe to start on her own burrito. She's learned a long time ago that when Ron was in full face-stuffing mode, any food on the table was fair game, and any fingers that got in the way were in mortal peril.

Ron smiled lazily and patted his stomach. "Takes a lot of fuel to keep this love machine running, KP."

She nearly inhaled her burrito. Pausing to clear her throat, she couldn't hide her smile. "Love machine?"

"You bet," he countered. "Somewhere out there is a lovely lady lost in a sea of mundanity. Have to keep myself fueled and ready to go when I finally meet her." He thumped the table as he added, "She won't know what hit her when the Ron-man comes to her rescue!"

"I'll say," Kim replied, sipping from her drink. She looked at Ron a moment, trying to see him as a womanizing 'love machine.' The absurdity of the thought brought an uncontrollable grin to her face, which she quickly hid by taking another bite of her burrito. Ron was a good friend, no, her best friend, and she adored him dearly, but she just couldn't quite see him as stud material. Now, Josh, on the other hand...

"What are you smiling about?" Ron asked.

She sat up with a start, suddenly aware that she hadn't hidden her smile as well as she thought. "Oh, nothing, nothing at all."

"Hmmmm...." Ron murmured, steepling his fingers in front of his face. "Grinning about nothing, zoning out in school, this is most curious, grasshopper. Most curious indeed."

"Grasshopper?"

He shrugged. "Been watching that old '_Kung Fu_' TV show. It's a veritable fountain of timeless wisdom!"

She leaned back and smirked. "Example?"

He stared at her blankly for a moment. "Can't think of a single thing. Except that somebody would be stupid to try and carry a red-hot barrel with his bare arms. That sort of thing leaves marks."

"No doubt," she replied. Glancing out the window, she sighed. "It's getting dark, we should probably head home."

"What, and rob these lovely ladies of my manly presence?" he asked, arms gesturing to encompass the interior of the restaurant.

Looking around, Kim smiled. "There's no ladies here at the moment, Ron." she pointed out, then added in a softer voice, "Unless you're counting the individual of indeterminate gender over there in the corner."

Ron turned in his seat, then quickly turned back to face Kim, his cheeks flushing bright red. "Oh, uh.... well, home it is, then."

Kim chuckled softly as she rose to her feet. "Come on, stud, let's get out of here."

"Gladly," Ron said, casting a worried glance over his shoulder.

----

Agent Will Du staggered down the side of the road, hissing in pain with each step. He stopped briefly to adjust the temporary splint he had tied around his left ankle, took the opportunity to once again curse his rotten luck, the failing light, and life in general, then began hobbling again, slowly making his way towards Middleton.

_At least it's not broken,_ he mused silently. Not that it mattered. Global Justice hadn't been able to pinpoint Kim's lair in time, and he hadn't been able to stop her from entering that damned machine. Indeed, his attempt at tackling her had resulted in the two of them being cast into the temporal vortex.

He didn't remember anything about the passage itself, apparently having blacked out almost instantly. When he came to, he'd found himself in a snow-covered field, cold and shivering, with no sign of Kim beyond a set of tracks that led to the road. To top it off, he'd apparently sprained his ankle during the transit, which meant that he'd have one hell of a time catching up with Kim now without help.

A siren sounded behind him and Will turned to see a police cruiser pull to a stop on the side of the road. He offered a friendly smile as the driver stepped out of his car and adjusted his hat. "Hello, officer. Nice car."

----

Señor Senior, Jr., known to most everyone a simply "Junior," stared sullenly across the banquet hall. The massive room was filled with people. Mostly old people, he noted with a sniff of dissatisfaction. Not the kind to get down and dance, not like Junior had wanted. His father had insisted on a big party to celebrate Junior's birthday and, true to form, had completely overridden Junior's own suggestions about what kind of party they should hold.

Junior looked around at the massed crowds of wealthy dance-haters his father had invited. Rich. Powerful. Connected. Decidedly rhythm-deprived. His father had used phrases such as "people in high places" and "industry insiders" and "political elite" to justify ignoring Junior's more down-to-Earth request for a simple dance, instead telling Junior that they needed to keep the powerful people entertained, so that they could be called on for help later on if the situation demanded. Another one of his father's criminal schemes, no doubt. Looking around, Junior couldn't find one single thing that he would consider entertaining.

Junior shifted uncomfortably as his father walked over, leading yet another well-to-do person of importance over to shake hands with him. Wonderful. He hated it when his father decided to introduce him to people that Junior could really care less about.

"Presidente, may I present to you my son, Señor Senior, Jr." his father said, gesturing towards Junior with one wrinkled hand. "Junior, this is Edwardo Thomas, the President of Bolivia."

The President, decked out in a dark gray sport coat and matching pants, extended a hand. "A pleasure."

Junior caught the warning look from his father and reached out to shake the President's hand, trying hard to keep his boredom from showing. "A pleasure," he replied, having no desire to really talk to the man, whoever he was. Just another of father's connections who probably couldn't dance to save his life. For his part Junior's father seemed pleased. He steered the President away, chattering on like a love-sick schoolgirl.

Junior sighed and turned away, his eyes meandering around the crowd until they fell upon a woman Junior did not recognize. Porcelean-skinned, eyes the color of sapphires, blonde hair falling in luxurious waves down over her shoulders, clothed in a scarlet dress that clung to her trim body in all the right places, revealing just enough to hint at the pleasures located just beneath the sheer satin fabric. Junior found himself smiling for the first time since the party had started.

Glancing over in his direction, the young woman noticed Junior's unabashed stare and matched it with one of her own. One delicate eyebrow arched slightly, one corner of her full lips twitched up in a smile. Junior felt himself stir and decided that if he couldn't have the dance party that he had wanted, then a more private sort of dance was better than nothing, father be damned.

Junior expertly retrieved two glasses of wine from a passing waiter and began making his way over to the beauty that had caught his eye.

----

Will Du crouched in the bushes across the street from Kim Possible's home, surveying the structure through his thermal imager. Mr and Mrs Possible were in the kitchen enjoying some quality time together while she made dinner, the twins were in the living room watching television, and Kim and Ron were upstairs in her room, sitting on her bed and talking, about what he couldn't say, but judging from the way Ron was gesticulating, it was something close to the boy's heart.

Lowering the imager, Will took a moment to survey the neighborhood. Plenty of places for someone to hide, plenty of shadows to mask the presence of an intruder. Even with the imager, he wasn't entirely certain that he'd be able to detect her approach. 'The Reaper' had consistently demonstrated an aggravating ability to avoid sensing devices in the past. No, in the future. Well, his past, their future, at least. _Damn,_ he thought, rubbing his face with one hand, _This is giving me a headache._

Returning his gaze back to the Possible home, he couldn't suppress the nagging concern that his quarry might have a different destination that night.

A sudden squealing of tires caught his attention as a cherry red Corvette screeched to a halt in front of the Possible home. He tensed as the driver's door swung open, then relaxed when a thin, wiry-looking man stepped out. The front door to the Possible home burst open and both Kim and Ron raced out, each dressed in their mission clothes. The three of them then leapt into the car, which shot down the road with a scream of tortured tires, leaving a cloud of blue-gray smoke in their wake.

Will sat back and forced himself to relax, slightly. _She's not here,_ he thought. _Maybe she's already been here. Had enough of a head start._

_So where is she now?_ he added with a frown.

----

Junior walked down the hall, supporting the tipsy blonde on his arm with practiced ease. She was alternating between fits of uncontrollable giggling and bouts of horridly off-key singing, her slurred speech rendering the song unrecognizable. She staggered and nearly fell for the third time, but Junior grabbed her under the arms and set her back on her feet before continuing down the hall. Looking at her out of the corner of his eye, he wondered if perhaps he had misjudged the dosage.

Before he could think about it more they arrived at his suite. Pushing open the door, Junior stopped briefly and looked around. There was no sign of the man that his father had assigned to watch the room while Junior was away. Probably went to join the party, Junior decided, along with all the other stiffs. He shrugged and walked into the room, companion in tow, and closed the door.

The suite itself was rather tiny by Junior's standards, with only seven rooms and a balcony. Four large leather chairs were arranged in a semi-circle around the massive stone fireplace, which was roaring merrily, filling the room with a relaxing glow and the faintest hint of wood smoke. The bar had been well-stocked and several plates of hors'd'ourves and other exotic snacks filled a table by the fireplace. Quaint, and a bit rustic, but it would suffice.

He paused a moment to let his eyes adjust to the lower light in the room, then led his soon-to-be-latest-conquest to the bed and allowed her to fall onto it. She made a whooping sound as she did so and began giggling all the more. Junior sighed and began undoing his belt but stopped when someone coughed softly behind him.

Irritated, he turned around and spotted the shadow of someone sitting in one of the large leather chairs arranged around the fireplace. The chair was facing away from him, so all he could see was the outline of an arm, and the top of the person's head. Apparently the guard hadn't gone to the party after all.

Junior stalked over to the chair, mind racing as he tried to come up with a sufficiently angry comment, something his father would be proud of. Not that he thought it would matter much what he told some incompetent guard caught sleeping on the job, but at least he could tell father he had been practicing, which would make the old man happy, at least for a while.

Junior grabbed the back of the chair and spun it around with a mighty heave, an appropriately witty yet sarcastic curse ready to fire. The curse died on his lips as the guard's head flopped loosely on his neck and came to rest at an extremely odd angle, one that a living body could never achieve. Junior backed away quickly, the words he had prepared turning into a shocked squeal as the guard's body leaned forward and toppled out of the chair, landing on the ground in a tangle of lifeless flesh.

Junior's mind raced, hit a speed bump, stalled, and began racing again. The guard was dead. In his room. The room with unlocked doors. Dead. His room. Unlocked.

_Unlocked._

Junior spun on his heel and raced for the doors, the woman on his bed forgotten, his only thoughts focused on escaping whoever it was that had killed the guard. Killed him and left the body in Junior's room. Which meant that the murderer had been and probably still was somewhere in the room. Junior reached the doors and threw them open. The hallway lighting dazzled him, causing him to stop short, eyes blinking against the sudden glare.

Someone was standing there.

Cast in shadow by the hallways lights, Junior couldn't make out any details except for the fact that the individual was crouched in a fighting stance, hands held flat like knives. Junior blinked and stammered, "Wha-who-wha...?"

The individual's eyes flared green, literally _glowed_ a bright emerald green, casting enough light to highlight the person's face. A woman's face. A face that he recognized, even behind the lines and scars. "You!" Junior gasped.

Kim Possible gave him a predator's smile.

"Hello, Junior. Long time no see."

----

End Chapter One

----


	3. Chapter 2 : Reaction

This is a revised release : I've been away from this story for quite a while, and now that I'm back, I've gone back through a tweaked a few things to better match what I've got planned. Sorry for the delays in continuing this story.

-------------------------------

KIM POSSIBLE: FUTURE IMPERFECT

Chapter Two

"Reaction"

-------------------------------

Kim thrashed about on her bed, groaning softly, sweat plastering her auburn hair to her forehead. She twisted, turned, fists clenched, teeth grinding in her sleep as the nightmare gripped her. Another soft moan escaped her lips. "Hello, Junior," she breathed softly, face twisting into a feral   
scowl. "Long time no see."

Beside her bed, sprawled on the floor, Ron Stoppable slept on, oblivious to the commotion occurring beside him.

She twitched, shook, jerked violently on the bed. Rolled face-first onto a pillow as a soft keening wail rose in her throat. "Oh, God..." she cried, voice muffled in the down-filled pillow.

----

Señor Senior, Sr. walked quickly down the long hallway, his aged body moving with a speed and grace that few others his age could muster. His face an emotionless mask, although inside his thoughts were boiling. What had Junior done this time? He had noticed when the boy had snuck   
out of the banquet hall, thinking himself unseen. Saw the young lady that had accompanied him. At the time, he had muffled his irritation at Junior's affront, leaving the party so early, but he could not fault the lad for wanting to indulge himself. Had he himself been younger, the senior   
Senior may have made a play for the woman himself.

The fact that the boy had been gone all night was cause for both concern and, he supposed, congratulations. Fortunately, the party had passed its zenith by the time Junior had decided to make his escape, and few took any notice that the boy was gone. Which was for the best, Senior   
thought.

But then an attendant had awakened him and told him that there was a problem in Junior's room, and that he needed to come quickly. A hundred scenarios had played through the elder Senior's mind, none of them very pleasing. Junior's penchant for dancing was only matched by his ability   
to cause problems that his father had to sort out. From the look on the attendant's face, whatever Junior had done this time, it had outdone his previous exploits. So he had donned his robes and hurried after the flustered staff member.

Rounding a corner, Senior immediately sensed that something was terribly amiss. A large crowd of hotel staffers was congregating around the open doorway to Junior's suite, none of them speaking a word, instead staring into the room itself. Senior's heart skipped a beat and he   
quickened his pace, moving towards the door as a growing sense of alarm filled him.

The hotel's maitre d' emerged from the room, face ashen. Behind him, two men carried a woman out of the room. Senior blinked in confusion, then recognition set in - it was the woman Junior had left with during the party. She was apparently unconscious, her head tipped back, throat   
pulsing gently as she spoke in her sleep. As they passed him, Senior saw several drops of what appeared to be blood on the woman's face. "Oh, God. Junior, what have you done?" he breathed, turning towards the door.

The maitre d' turned, saw Senior approaching, and moved to intercept him. "I'm sorry, sir, but you cannot-"

"What's happened?" Senior interrupted. He gestured towards the growing crowd. "What's the meaning of this? Where's my son?"

The maitre d' swallowed and pulled Senior to one side. "Sir, something terrible has happened. I don't know how to tell you this, but-"

"What? What's happened?" Senior demanded, a sudden leaden feeling filling his gut.

"It's your son, sir. Someone broke into the private wing last night and..." he trailed off, his face losing even more of it's color.

Senior pushed his way past the man and stepped into the room. He saw one of his private bodyguards lying crumpled by the fireplace, obviously dead. Blood turning to icewater, he turned, slowly surveying the room. "Junior?" His gaze fell on the bed, on the horrid sight that lay there, unmoving.

"JUNIOR!"

----

Kim slowly munched a piece of toast, blinking to try and clear the sleep from her eyes. Beside her, Ron was humming tunelessly as he made short work of some scrambled eggs and bacon.

"You getting enough to eat, Ron?" Kim's mother asked.

"Oh yes, Mrs. P," he replied, nodding enthusiastically, "It's excellent, as always. Couldn't do better myself."

Kim cocked an eyebrow. "Laying it on a bit thick, don't you think?"

"Well, no," he said as he spread some jam on a piece of toast. "It's a fine balance between too little and too much. Can't have too little, or the toast is too dry. Too much, and-"

"That's not what I meant, Ron."

Ron paused, scratching his head. "Huh? Oh, well, whatever you say, KP."

"Right," Kim said slowly.

Kim's mother smiled. "Thanks for the compliment, Ron." Turning towards Kim, her expression shifted somewhat, concern dancing at the corners of her eyes. "Is that all you're eating, Kimmie?"

"Not hungry, mom," Kim said as she took another small bite.

"Is anything the matter, honey?"

Kim swallowed her toast and shrugged. "I'm fine. Didn't sleep well, that's all."

Her mother walked over and placed the back of her hand on Kim's forehead. "You're not coming down with something, are you?"

Kim sighed, not quite masking her annoyance. "I'm fine, mom. I just had a really bad nightmare, that's all."

Ron, for his part, simply watched the exchange as he poured himself another glass of juice.

"A nightmare? What about?" her mother asked, sitting down across from Kim and Ron.

Kim shrugged. "I don't know. Can't remember a thing about it."

Her mother frowned. "If you say so, hon."

"I'm fine, mom." Kim said, rising to her feet. "It's no big. Honest. Just a nightmare."

Ron quickly chugged his orange juice before following Kim out of the kitchen. "I hear that a heaping helping of nacos is a great cure for nightmares, KP."

Kim grimace as she reached down and grabbed her book bag, which was on the floor by the front door. "More like a great cause of them, Ron."

"Well, think about it. Last night you didn't have any nacos. Then, you have a nightmare." He grinned at her. "The evidence speaks for itself."

"I'm sure it does," she replied, shaking her head. "But I don't think you're hearing it very clearly."

Her mother's voice rang out from the kitchen, a note of concern clearly noticeable. "Kim! I think you should see this!"

Kim and Ron shared a look, then ran into the kitchen. "What?"

Without saying a word her mother pointed towards the television.

A male reporter was standing outside a set of wrought-iron gates, speaking into a microphone. "Reports are coming in that Señor Senior, Jr., son of multi-billionaire Señor Senior, Sr., was murdered last night in his suite at the five-star Lux Royale hotel, located just outside of Toulon,   
in southern France." The view panned to show the hotel itself as the reporter continued. "Details are sketchy at this time, but it appears that an intruder managed to circumvent hotel security and enter the wing rented out to the Seniors."

Kim turned away from the television, a queasy feeling spasming her stomach. A vague, half-forgotten memory flashed in front of her eyes.

_Junior crawled across the thickly carpeted floor, one leg dragging limply. He was muttering incoherently, scrambling to escape her. _

_A sound made him stop and turn his face back to her. A sickly green light highlighted his features, intensifying the look of terror and shock that filled his eyes. The sight made her laugh. A mocking, evil laugh. _

_Fist lashing out, she punched him in the face. He fell, blood spraying from his shattered nose._

"Kim? You okay?" Ron asked, suddenly at her side. "You got my 'Barkin' look, again. Doesn't really look as good on you as it does on me."

"What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine." she replied, the memory and queasiness fading as quickly as they had come. "Just a shock, you know? Learning that Junior's been killed."

"I suppose," Ron agreed slowly, unsure what else to say. "I mean, it's too bad that he's dead, and all. But it's not like he hasn't tried to take over the world or anything. And I don't recall getting a Christmas card from them this year."

Kim glanced at the television again, which was now showing a slow panning shot of the hotel. _Why does that place seem so damned familiar?_ she asked herself silently. _I've know that I've never even been there before, but I feel like I have. What in the world is happening to me?_

"Hate to interrupt," her mother said, "but you should really get going."

"C'mon, Ron," she said quickly, filing away her questions for future consideration as she hurried out of the kitchen. "We're going to be late!"

----

Will's cursing echoed loudly inside the hotel room as he watched the morning news. Kim had struck, and struck hard judging by the number of _policiers_ that the camera crews had caught on video. He stalked around the bed, thoughts racing. He should have realized that she would go for   
Junior first, all things considered. After what he had done to her, it was only logical.

Of course, he mused, logic and Kim 'The Reaper' Possible didn't always travel the same path.

Somehow, she had gotten herself to France and killed Junior. Who would she be most likely to hit next? He was well aware of the names of each and every person that she would be after. The ill-fated individuals who had become the members of F.O.E. It was just a matter of finding them   
before she did. Frowning, he realized that he lacked the resources to locate any of the individuals she would be targeting. It wasn't like he could waltz into Global Justice Headquarters and ask for access to the mainframe. Although it might be worth it to try, if only to see the look on Dr.   
Director's face.

No, there had to be another way. What could it be?

Suddenly, inspiration dawned. He pulled out a phone book and quickly flipped through the pages until he found what he was looking for. He spun and raced out of the room, grabbing his coat as he did so.

----

"So, somebody whacked Junior, eh?" Monique said as she walked beside Kim between classes. "I never would've seen that one coming. How about you?"

Kim shook her head. "Never. Junior may have been an aspiring villain, but he doesn't seem.... er, _didn't_ seem to be the kind to make that sort of enemy."

"Wonder who it was?" Monique asked. "Somebody new that you're going to have to fight?"

"I have no idea," Kim admitted. "Wade's working on figuring out who was responsible. Just have to wait and see what comes up." Something caught her eye, and she sighed. "Pardon me, Monique, but I've got a little errand to run."

"Sure thing. See you at lunch!"

Kim walked over to Ron's locker, a smirk on her face. Knocking lightly on the locker door she said, "Anybody home?"

"Oh, hi KP." Ron's voice echoed from the inside of the locker. "How's things?"

"Oh, you know, the usual." she replied, frowning. "So, what are you doing?"

"Same old same old," came the reply. "Decided that I really needed to do a thorough cleaning of my locker. The trash was beginning to organize a revolution."

"I can imagine," Kim sighed, twisting the lock and opening the door. "How long have you been in there?"

"Not long," he replied. "Only since last period. Didn't miss anything except study hall. Um, how'd you know I was in here?"

"Rufus," Kim answered, pointing down to where the naked mole rat was sitting on the floor, holding a small sign that read "Ron In Locker Again."

"Ah, yep, that would explain it." Ron said, smiling. "Thanks, buddy."

"No problemo," Rufus chirped.

She crossed her arms and looked at him. "You coming out? It's almost time for class."

"Maybe. Might stay in here a bit more. Got Barkin's class next. I'm sure he won't miss me." Ron shrugged. "Besides, the trash wants to elect me president! How can I possibly leave?" He yelped as Kim reached in and yanked him out of the locker. "Just great. I finally get some ambition, and   
you have to go and ruin it for me. KP? Kim? Hey, wait up!"

----

She stalked through the halls of the deserted building, fists clenched at her sides, eyes alight. "Why didn't it work?" she demanded. "Why hasn't it changed?" She stopped in the middle of the hall and trembled as a growl rumbled in her throat. "WHY CAN I STILL REMEMBER IT!?" she   
screamed, spinning and planting her fist into the wall. The force of the plasma-assisted punch blew a ragged hole through the block wall, scattering shattered brick and plaster in every direction.

"WHY DO I STILL REMEMBER?!" A door was reduced to splinters.

"WHY DO I STILL REMEMBER THEM DYING!?" An abandoned desk burst into flaming debris.

"WHY CAN I STILL REMEMBER WHAT THAT BASTARD DID TO ME?!" A crumbling section of wall gave way, sending a billowing cloud of dust in all directions.

Panting softly, gazing around the ruined interior of the building, her emotions began to modulate. "Damn, I hate it when that happens," she said with a sigh.

She scuffed a foot on the floor, kicking piles of dirt around. "It should've worked. I took the bastard out of the equation. It should've changed things. It should've worked." She kept repeating the phrase over and over, her own personal mantra. "It should have worked. Unless... unless he   
wasn't the key." She stared up at the ceiling, frowning. "Maybe it wasn't enough to take him out of the picture. Maybe I need to do more."

"Well," she said, a smile slowly spreading across her lips. "If at first you don't succeed..."

----

Kim tried to stifle a yawn as she stared at the computer screen, preparing to dissect her virtual frog. Not that she would have preferred operating on a real one, but her lack of any semblance of peaceful slumber the night before was beginning to take it's toll. That, and the idea of taking a   
simulated scalpel to a simulated amphibian just seemed a bit odd.

Sitting beside her, Ron was busy explaining to Rufus that naked mole rats were not generally used in high school biology classes. Rufus didn't seem quite convinced, crossing his arms and sitting down with a grunt.

Kim shook her head and returned her attention to her computerized frog. Using the mouse, she selected the pins and used them to stake her frog down. Then, following a prompt by the computer, she selected a scalpel. As she brought the virtual blade around to the indicated location, her vision blurred.

_She flexed her right hand and the fingernails elongated, slicing through the glove that she was wearing, each nail becoming a five-inch long, razor-sharp blade. _

Junior, lying on the floor in front of her, saw this and gave a wordless shriek as he scrambled backwards, trying to get away from her.

"Where do you think you're going, lover boy?" a voice - her voice, yet not - said softly, the tone playful and menacing at the same time. "I thought you liked to play rough."

Kim jerked, breaking away from the vision that had entranced her. Glancing around quickly, she breathed a sigh of relief that no one had noticed her little spell, whatever it was. Frowning, she glanced down at her trembling hands. _What was that?_ she asked silently. _No way it could be a memory. But if it's not a memory, then what was it?_

She cast a look at Ron, who was leaning forward, studying his computer screen intently as Rufus operated the mouse. "Knife." Ron said. Rufus, who had somehow gotten himself dressed up in a tiny nurse's uniform, gave him a look. "What? That pointy thing there. A knife, right?" Rufus muttered something that Kim couldn't quite hear. "Oh, okay. Scalpel, then."

She turned back to her digital frog. With a quick flick of the mouse, she cut open the frog's stomach. Two more slices, and she was done with the scalpel tool. She was preparing to peel back the resultant flaps of skin when a small window opened on her screen. Wade's face appeared within the window. She blinked. "Uh, hey there, Wade. Fancy seeing you here. So what's the sitch?"

"Kim, I think we've got a problem," Wade said quickly. "Someone hacked the web site last night. They accessed the database that holds all the information about the people who have volunteered transportation for your missions."

Kim blinked. "Any idea what they were looking for?"

"Maybe," Wade replied. "Looks like they were searching for high-speed, long-range transport. They focused on jet aircraft, for the most part. Spent the most time looking at the entry for the 'Avion Rapide' air charter service."

"'Avion Rapide'?" Kim said softly, trying not to attract too much attention. "I helped them out with a runaway Lear last month, right?"

"Right. I contacted Rapide's CEO about it. He told me..." Wade paused, a frown crossing his features.

"Told you... what?" Kim said.

Wade looked up. "Kim, he told me that someone claiming to be you borrowed one of their fastest aircraft."

"WHAT?!" Kim shouted. Her face flushed crimson as everyone turned to look at her.

"Problem, Miss Possible?" the teacher's voice rang out from the front of the classroom.

"No, no problem, Mister Hanson. I was just, well, just..."

Ron peeked over the top of him computer. "She was answering a question for me." he said. "I was trying to figure out what to do with the scissors." Kim shot him an appreciative look, and he smiled back at her.

"Well, if that's all it was. Try to keep it down back there. Oh, and Mister Stoppable, keep your eyes on your own frog."

"Will do, Mr. Hanson." Ron hesitated. "Uh, do you think I can get a new one? I think I broke mine."

Kim turned back to Wade's image. "Let me get this straight - somebody, somebody pretending to be me, stole an airplane?"

Wade shook his head. "Didn't steal it, only borrowed. Dropped it off right where they were supposed to. Mr. Anderton said that she was very polite, even apologized for having to borrow one of his airplanes."

"Oh, well, that makes it all better." Kim thought for a moment. "Any idea where this person went with it?"

Wade nodded. "France. Near Toulon."

"France..." Kim breathed softly. "Toulon. Why does that sound...." She felt a chill run down her spine as she remembered the morning news. "Oh, no. That's where the Seniors are. That's where Junior..."

"Yep." Wade answered. "Probably just a coincidence, but I thought you'd want to check it out, so I've arranged transportation for you. Should be a car arriving in a few minutes to take you to Avion Rapide."

"You rock, Wade. Thanks." Rising to her feet, Kim motioned for Ron to follow her. "Come on, Ron. We've got a mission."

"What about Eugene?" Ron protested as he rose to his feet.

"Who?"

"Eugene," Ron said again, pointing towards his computer. "My frog. I can't just leave him all...   
exposed. The humanity of it. And the ASPCA, I'm sure they'd have something to say abo..." He   
gulped, catching Kim's glare. "Then again, I'm sure he'll be fine. Mission, right. Let's go."

With an apologetic wave to the teacher, Kim and Ron raced out of the room.

----

End Chapter Two

----


	4. Chapter 3 : Questions

-------------------------------

KIM POSSIBLE: FUTURE IMPERFECT

Chapter Three

"Questions"

-------------------------------

The limousine pulled to a stop in front of the Avion Rapide main office. Kim and Ron quickly exited the vehicle, Kim pausing to stop by the driver's door. "Thanks a lot, Mrs. Carghill! I really appreciate the lift!"

"No problem, Kim, especially after you helped save my business last spring." the rotund woman replied with a smile.

"It was just a small flood. No big." Kim said. She turned back to Ron, who was coughing violently, and gave him a disapproving look. "I told you not to drink it, Ron." she scolded.

"I was juth cuwioth wha it tasthted wike, Kim." he whined. "Gawd, how can people dwink thhhat sthtuff?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and cocked her head to one side. "You know what they say about curiosity, Ron." He gave her a baffled look. "As in, curiosity killed the cat?"

Ron wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Killed the cat? That, that, that's cruel! Not that any self respecting cat would go anywhere near that stuff." He blinked a moment, then, in a softer voice, "Who exactly is this 'they,' anyways?"

Kim sighed. Typical. "C'mon, Ron," she said, heading for the front door.

A tall, well-dressed gentleman met then at the door. "Ah, Kim Possible! Please, come in, come in." he exclaimed, voice inflected with a faint French accent. "I am glad to see you once again. The one who called said that there were some questions you had for me? I cannot imagine what, but feel free to ask."

"Mr. Anderton, I presume." Kim said, following the man inside. "Thanks for seeing us on such short notice. I'd like to start by asking about the person who borrowed the plane yesterday."

"I do not understand. It was you, was it..." He paused, studying her. "Your hair..."

"My hair?" Kim blinked. "What about it? I don't have split ends or something, do I?" She pulled out a compact and began inspecting herself in the mirror.

"No, no, of course not. It is quite well-maintained. It's just that... well, yesterday it was much shorter." He held his hands near his shoulders. "About this long. How is this possible?" He leaned closer, peering at her hair. "A wig, no?"

"So not." Kim scoffed, pocketing the compact with a satisfied sigh. "Mr. Anderton, I hate to break it to you, but whoever it was that borrowed that plane yesterday, it wasn't me."

Mr. Anderton blinked. "Pardon?"

"Hello, not her," Ron chimed, "You know, someone else? A fake? Clone, copy, cross-dresser, something like that?"

Kim frowned. "A cross-dresser, Ron?"

"Hey, I had that c-thing going for me. Didn't want to break the chain." He smiled sheepishly. "Besides, I couldn't think of anything else."

"Excuse me, Miss Possible," Mr. Anderton interrupted, "Are you trying to tell me that I loaned one of my aircraft to an... an... an imposter?"

"Imposter, yes, that's another good word for it!"

"Hush, Ron," Kim chided. Turning back to the flustered executive, she smiled calmly. "I'm sorry to say it, Mr. Anderton, but it looks that way. Is there anything you can tell me about this person?"

"Well, there is nothing much to tell. She was dressed in black." He began ticking his fingers as he continued. "All black. Pants like yours. Long-sleeve shirt. Black military-style boots. Black sunglasses. And a large duffel bag."

"Let me guess, black, right?" Kim asked.

"Yes. All black. She was quite polite and courteous. Still, there was something..."

Kim cocked her head. "What?"

"A feeling." Mr. Anderton frowned. "A sense of something... wrong. No, not wrong. Dangerous. She gave the impression of someone that was very dangerous."

"And this didn't worry you?" Kim asked, surprised.

"Not at all. You are a crime-fighter, Miss Possible. You deal with dangerous people, dangerous situations all the time. It's is only natural to assume that you would be dangerous as well." He shrugged. "Meeting you now, I can see that this assumption was in error."

"Like Mister Barkin says," Ron said sagely. "When you assume something, you only make an as-"

"Ron!" Kim interrupted. "Is there anything else you can tell us, Mr. Anderton?"

He stopped as they entered a seated waiting area. "I still have the flight plan she filed, if that will help."

Kim nodded. "If it wouldn't be any trouble."

"No trouble at all. I want to resolve this matter as quickly and efficiently as possible. If you will wait here, I will retrieve the file." He turned and left.

Ron flopped down on one of the chairs. "This is kinda freaky, KP. I mean, two of you running around? I have a hard enough time keeping up with one of you. But two of you? The mind boggles."

"Thanks, Ron. I think." She sighed as she sat next to him. "It just doesn't make any sense. Why would someone want to masquerade as me, of all people?"

"Hello? Kim Possible, teen hero? 'She can do anything'? Inspired a fashion craze?" Ron smiled at her. "Besides, she got a trip to Europe out of it, didn't she?"

"It has to be more than that, Ron. You don't do something so elaborate just to borrow an airplane for a trip to France." She frowned. "I've got a bad feeling about this."

Ron stared at the floor. "You've had a bad feeling for about a day now, KP." He looked up at her shocked expression. "What? I've been your friend for 12 years now. I can read you like a book."

"Oh really?"

"Well, a comic book, maybe. Definitely not a novel. Or one of those humongous hardbacks or anything like that." He sighed. "But something's been bugging you ever since lunch yesterday."

"It's just a feeling Ron," she said, leaning back and looking at the ceiling. "I'm sure it'll.... hmmmm."

"What?"

She pulled out her Kimmunicator. "Wade, this place has a security system. Any chance that our mystery pilot was caught on camera?"

Wade smiled. "Already on it, Kim. Didn't want to say anything until I was sure."

"You rock, Wade."

A flurry of keystrokes followed, then Wade smiled. "Hang on, I've got something. Here."

Kim watched the screen as it flickered, then shifted to a color recording. On it, she saw an older woman standing at a counter, handing papers over to a black-clad, red-headed woman. Kim frowned. "Wade, pause the playback, please."

Ron peeked over her shoulder. "Hey, there is a similarity there, Kim. Kind of."

Kim couldn't help but agree. The hair was the same exact shade that she saw in the mirror every morning. And, as Mr. Anderton had mentioned, it was shorter - pulled up in a pony tail as it was she had a hard time judging the true length, but she guessed that it would be about shoulder-length at most. As she examined the woman's face, Kim's jaw dropped. The curve of the jaw, the cheekbones, the shape of the ears. _My God,_ Kim breathed silently, _That's my face._ She blinked, her frown deepening. "Wade, can you enhance the imposter? I want to get a better look."

A moment later, the image zoomed in on the mysterious woman. "Too much makeup," she sniffed. "And as if I would ever wear that sort of outfit," Kim mused, studying the woman's garb. She couldn't help but notice that the imposter was very athletic in appearance, the form-fitting top revealing muscled arms and shoulders. Not muscled in the weightlifting sense, but rather like an endurance runner. And there was something else. The way she was standing, the way she held herself as she seemingly relaxed on the counter.

_Dangerous_ was the word that Mr. Anderton had used. Seeing her now, even if was on video rather than in person, Kim had to agree. The woman had the look of a coiled spring, ready to burst into action at a moment's notice.

Kim stood up as Mr. Anderton re-entered the room carrying a manila folder. "Wade, see if you can get any more information from the video. I'll do some more investigating here." She switched off the Kimmunicator and turned to face Mr. Anderton, who handed the file to her. "Is is okay if we keep this for a while, Mr. Anderton?"

"Of course, Miss Possible. Keep it for as long as you like. I hope it will help."

Kim opened the file and quickly paged through it, her expression darkening as she did so. A small growl escaped her lips, and Ron slowly backed away from her.

A familiar beeping interrupted her grumbling. Ron perked up at the sound. "Boy, that was fast."

Kim shot him an annoyed glare and she pulled out the Kimmunicator. "What?"

"Geez, what's tweaking you?" the young genius asked, one eyebrow raised.

Kim sighed. "Sorry, Wade. I'll tell you later. So, what did you find?"

"Still working on the video feed. But there's something else." Wade grimaced at her. "Kim, I just monitored a police report from Cordoba, Spain. There's been an accident."

Kim felt her stomach lurch. "What sort of accident?"

"Adrena Lynn was killed about an hour ago in a freak skydiving accident. Apparently she was performing some sort of skydiving stunt for an advertising company over there." He swallowed, eyes scanning his computer monitor. "Both her main and reserve chutes failed to open."

Kim sat back, stunned by the news. "She... died? Oh, my God."

Ron shook his head. "Dude, I thought Adrena Lynn was all about faking stuff like that. Maybe she's just doing it again."

"I've seen the video feed, Ron. She was at forty thousand feet when she jumped." Wade said softly. "I don't think it's a fake this time."

Ron paled. "Oh, man. Does that mean that she actually... I mean, what would that do to... oh, man."

"Exactly." Kim said. "Wade, we need a ride."

Wade nodded, not looking at all surprised. "Sure thing, Kim. Where to?"

"Spain. I want to check this 'accident' out for myself."

----

Will sat down at the table, eyes scanning the interior of the Middleton "Internet Cafe Emporium" with practiced ease. As he had expected, no one was paying any attention to him at all. Excellent.

A buxom waitress walked over and placed a large glass of water on the table. "Would you like to order, sir?"

Will smiled up at her. "Not at the moment, thank you. I have some surfing to do." She nodded and walked over to the next table.

He glanced down at the monitor installed beneath the clear Plexiglas window inset into the top of the table. Flexing his fingers, he quickly began typing on the attached keyboard. He quickly located the access node and entered is password. _God, I hope I'm remembering this right,_ he mused.

The screen blanked for a moment before the Global Justice Online logo popped up. _Success!_

He might not be able to simply waltz into Global Justice and access the mainframe, but Dr. Director, being the technology-savvy leader that she was, had installed an online access point for Agents in the field. Tons of security, to be sure, but as long as one had the proper passwords, access was assured.

A frown crossed his features. _Just have to hope that my younger self doesn't log on in the next hour or so._

Shaking off the thought, he bent over the keyboard and began typing furiously.

----

Ron stretched, a lazy yawn escaping his lips as he did so. He glanced over at Kim, who was sitting on the other side of the jet's passenger cabin, a new wave of concern washing over him as he did so. Ever since they had visited that Avon Reality place, she had been flipping through the folder that Mr. Anderton had given her. And muttering. Not loud enough so that he could hear the words, but he could detect the tone well enough to know that he didn't want to tick her off any more than she already was. Not that he normally would have heeded such a warning, but lately things had been getting awfully screwy, and Kim had been on edge for over a day. Which was not, in his experience, a good combination.

A frustrated, edgy Kim was not the kind of creature that you wanted to face. Ever. Other than a frustrated, angry Kim. In a confined space. Oh yes, bad roads all around.

He was tempted to try to lighten her mood, but he knew full well that when she got this way there was little chance of success. Still, he should try. It was the least he could do - he hated seeing her this way.

He was worried enough that he almost wished that they were back in Middleton, where he could "arrange" for Josh to stop by. He didn't particularly trust the guy, but he was definitely good for derailing Kim's train of thought.

Unfortunately, he wasn't quite sure where to begin. So he settled on a neutral opening. "So, Kim, anything interesting in there?"

Kim slowly turned to face him. Her eyes held a look that he hadn't expected. Worry. She was worried. Ron swallowed as she offered him a wan smile. "I'm not sure what to make of it, Ron. It doesn't make any sense."

"What?"

She held the folder out for him to see. "Here. Do you see what she wrote?"

He glanced down. Lots of big words in tiny spaces. Handwritten entries all over the place. He frowned. "It's all Greek to me, KP."

She sighed. "I meant the handwriting itself, Ron."

"Oh, yeah, I knew that." He looked again. Something about it _did_ seem familiar, almost as if...

"It's my handwriting, Ron. An exact copy, right down to my signature." She dropped the folder with a frustrated growl. "What is going on here? Not only do they masquerade as me, but they go so far as the copy my handwriting? It doesn't make sense."

"I still say that it's a groupie," Ron suggested. "You know, a rabid, crazed fan, who wants to be like you in every way."

Kim frowned at him. "I don't have groupies, Ron."

"Maybe you do, now."

Kim's frown deepened. "Maybe. But if so, why not copy the look, too? After that messed up fashion craze that I inspired, I'm sure they could get the whole ensemble in a bargain basement bin or something." She shuddered at the thought. "Why go for the all-black combination?"

"Fashion statement?" he suggested.

"It's a statement, all right. But it's not about fashion." Kim shook her head slowly. "I just don't understand."

"Ah, you're the brains of this operation, KP," Ron assured her. "I'm sure you'll figure it out."

----

Global Justice Agent Will Du sat down at his desk with a frustrated sigh. Dr. Director had just spent the last hour berating the entire Intelligence Division for their utter lack of leads in the deaths of both Señor Senior, Junior and Adrena Lynn. Not to mention tearing new ones in the Agents assigned to the cases.

Including him. As if it could possibly be his fault.

He frowned. Besides, it wasn't as if the dearth of evidence was a result of a lack of trying. But whoever had taken out Junior had left precious little behind to help the investigation. And aside from the remains scattered over a small cottage in southern Spain, there was no evidence whatsoever in Adrena Lynn's death - the aircraft she had parachuted from had vanished, along with the pilot and her cameraman.

He pursed his lips, pulling out his laptop and entering his login ID and password.

Before he could hit the "enter" key, his communicator buzzed. "Du. Go."

"We may have a lead, sir. We've located Adrena Lynn's plane," a female voice replied. "It's been found in Málaga."

"I'm on my way."

----

End Chapter Three

----


	5. Chapter 4 : Revelations

This is a revised release : I've been away from this story for quite a while, and now that I'm back, I've gone back through a tweaked a few things to better match what I've got planned. Sorry for the delays in continuing this story.

-------------------------------

KIM POSSIBLE: FUTURE IMPERFECT

Chapter Four

"Revelations"

-------------------------------

The cab screeched to a halt near the grassy field where Adrena Lynn's plane had been found. Stepping out of the car, Kim flashed a bright smile at the driver. "Thanks a lot, Señor Martisse. I really appreciate the lift."

The driver smiled back, eyes alight. "Ah, it is no problem, Señorita Possible. After all, you saved my family from that fire last fall. It was the least I could do."

"It was just a small grease fire, no big." she replied. "All I did was use the flour you had on hand to put it out."

Ron climbed out of the cab and stretched, several of his vertebrae audibly popping back into place. "I'm never going to insult another pretzel as long as I live." he muttered.

Peeking out from Ron's cargo pocket, Rufus yawned with a loud squeak. "Mmmm... pretzel."

Kim smirked. "Lunch is going to have to wait a bit, Rufus."

Both Rufus and Ron looked crestfallen. "Wait?"

"Sorry, Ron. But there's work to do first." Kim turned and looked towards a clump of trees near the center of the field, where several Spanish police cars could be seen, as well something else that made her raise an eyebrow.

"Isn't that one of those hover-whatchamacallits that Global Justice uses?" Ron asked, coming up beside her.

Kim nodded slowly, eyes narrowing. "Sure is. Wonder why they're interesting in Adrena Lynn's plane? Not like she was a major criminal or anything."

"Maybe it's a slow crime day or something." Ron volunteered.

"Somehow I doubt it, Ron," Kim frowned at him before starting off across the field. "C'mon, let's go."

Ron paused for a moment, face reflecting his concern. "I..." he began, then caught himself. "Right behind you, KP!"

Kim strode confidently up to the aircraft, which had been ringed with several circles of brilliant caution tape. As she approached, a brown-clad officer carrying an automatic weapon moved to intercept her. "I am sorry, señorita, but no civilians are allowed."

Ron stepped up and smiled. "Dude, this is no civilian you're talking to here. This is Kim Possible." At the officer's blank stare, Ron continued, "You know, teen hero? Saves the world on a regular basis? Has her own website and loyal partner? Hello?"

The officer eyed Ron coldly, then turned his gaze back to Kim, obviously uncertain. "Kim.... Possible? The name is familiar, but you are so... so..."

"Fashionable?" Ron said.

"Young," the officer replied.

"No big," Kim said, waving her hand dismissively. "I get that a lot."

The officer straightened, dropping the automatic rifle into a resting position as he did so. "Why are you here, Señorita Possible?"

Kim blinked at the unexpected question. "To help. I know... well, knew, Adrena Lynn. We've tangled before. And I've got plenty of experience investigating things. I figure I can help out."

The officer smirked. "I think we have all the help we need," he said, nodding towards the plane. "Global Justice is handling the primary investigation."

Kim gaped at the officer before turning her eyes to the plane. "But... I... hey! Will! Will Du!"

The Global Justice agent, who had just climbed out of the aircraft, turned towards her and cocked an eyebrow. Walking over, he nodded to the officer. "Kimberly, what a... surprise. Why are you here?"

Kim sighed irritably. "I came to help. You know, lend a hand?"

"I think we have all the help we need," Will stated.

"Why are _you_ here, Will? It's not like Adrena Lynn was a major threat or anything." Kim frowned. "What, running out of serious criminals to chase around?"

"Actually," he said, glancing at her in that irritatingly arrogant manner that he did so well, "She's on our watch list. Has been for some time."

"What, like Global Justice keeps a file on petty criminals like Adrena Lynn?" Kim shot back.

"Global Justice keeps files on everyone." Will stated matter-of-factly.

"Even me?" Ron asked.

"Yes," Will replied blandly. "It's a very small file."

"Oh, well, that's.... HEY!"

"I hate to butt in or anything, but I really think I can help." Kim insisted. "I dealt with Adrena Lynn before, after all. And I _did_ help out with Duff Killigan and Gemini, right?"

Will pursed his lips in thought. "Perhaps you can be of some assistance after all." He nodded towards the officer, who lifted the caution tape so that Kim and Ron could pass.

"So what have you got so far?" Kim asked as they walked towards the plane.

Will hesitated before answering. "Not much. No sign of the pilot or Adrena Lynn's cameraman. Interior of the plane is nearly spotless."

"Nearly spotless?" Kim inquired.

"Some signs of struggle, some blood spatter. Our forensics team just arrived to examine the interior."

"Glad to hear that you've got everything well in hand," Kim stated dryly. Ron muttered something beside her and she looked at him. "What was that?"

"A small file, he says," Ron muttered loud enough for her to hear. "After that whole 'Ron Factor' thing?"

"He was joking, Ron," Kim assured him. _I think._ Kim's train of thought came to a halt when they reached the plane. She peered up at the open door and felt a cold chill run down her spine. _I know this plane,_ she realized. _I've climbed these stairs before._

"Is there a problem?" Will asked, looking back at her.

She shook her head. "No, nothing." She waited until Will had climbed up the short stairway into the plane before following. Entering the cramped passenger cabin, Kim was struck by an unnerving sense of familiarity. She allowed her gaze to wander around the plastic and aluminum interior, picking out various details, searching for any clues. Evidence markers were scattered around the interior, pinpointing various things of interest. Peering closer, she realized that the majority of them were either small red droplets of blood or sections of the fuselage that had been partially melted.

All the while, the feeling of deja vu steadily increased, cold fingers of dread reaching through her chest.

"Could I get a DNA sample from one of these?" Kim asked, motioning to the evidence markers.

Will shook his head. "Not until after our own team has finished."

"Right." Her eyes fell upon the oval opening that separated the passenger cabin from the cockpit, and the icy grip on her heart intensified. She stumbled towards the cockpit, cold numbness tingling in her extremities. As she entered the cockpit, her vision blurred, faded to gray.

_She sat quietly in the cockpit, monitoring the instruments as the aircraft reached the proper altitude. Behind her, in the passenger cabin, she could hear Adrena Lynn complaining loudly as she strapped on her parachute. The imposter glanced up at the window and caught her reflection, offering a thin smile to herself. Her eyes were hidden behind mirrored sunglasses, hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. _

Setting the aircraft on autopilot, she rose from her seat and stepped into the passenger cabin.

Adrena Lynn looked at her, lips curled into a sneer. "What are you doing? Get back there and concentrate on keeping this damned plane level!"

"Oh, I don't think that I will," she replied, leaning against the fuselage. "I'd rather watch the fun back here."

"You're not getting paid to watch." Adrena barked.

She laughed. "I'm not getting paid at all."

Adrena glared at her, suddenly wary. "What?"

"The pilot had a bit of a personal problem and had to take some time to pull himself together." She chuckled a bit before continuing. "And it's been so long since I last saw you, I just had to come along to see you off."

"Who the hell are you?" Adrena demanded.

She reached up and pulled off the sunglasses that had hidden her eyes. "Recognize me now?"

Adrena Lynn exchanged looks with her cameraman before the two began slowly backing away. "Possible?"

"Yes and no," she answered, stepping towards the woman. "Let me demonstrate."

"Yo, KP!"

Kim jerked out of the trance that had overcome her, banging her head off of the doorframe as she did so. "Damn," she swore.

"Sorry, KP." Ron offered apologetically. "But you zoned out again. Really freaky-like, too."

Kim clutched her arms across her chest, trying and failing to suppress a shudder. "She was here," she whispered.

"What? Who was here?" Ron asked.

"The imposter." she replied. Ron looked at her blankly and she sighed. "Ron, the woman that we saw in the Avion Rapide security video." She waited a moment before adding, "The groupie."

"Oh, yeah, her." Ron replied, nodding quickly. "Why didn't you say so." He looked around the cockpit. "So, uh, where'd she go?"

"She's not here _now_, Ron." Kim hissed. "But she was. She was here, and then she... she..." She choked down the knot that had formed in her throat, staring out the cockpit window as she did so. "She must have t-tampered with the parachute. That's why it didn't open - she made it so that it wouldn't work."

Ron blinked at her. "Man, what a way to go. But, um, how do you know?"

Kim looked at him, mind racing. How exactly _did_ she know? Was she supposed to tell him that she had a vision, saw it happening? That she was having dreams about it? _Yeah, right._ She stepped past Ron and walked back into the passenger cabin, eyes downcast. "I don't know. If only there was something..."

_Adrena stepped behind her assistant and gave him a shove, propelling the now-screaming man forward into her, knocking them both back into the fuselage. The impact slammed her head painfully into a support strut. _

Laughing gleefully, Adrena paused long enough at the open door to give her a wave. "See you later, Possible. And Michael, you're fired." With that, she leapt out the door.

She threw the unfortunate distraction across the room and slowly walked over to the door. "Guess she didn't examine her 'chute too well," she said, pulling the door shut. Turning towards the cameraman, who was scrambling backwards away from her, she flashed a gleeful smile as her hand began to glow with fiery plasma. "Now, what say we have us some fun, mister decoy?"

Kim staggered, knees buckling beneath her. "Not again," she growled. "What the hell is happening to me?"

"Kim!" Ron yelled, running to her side. "Kim, what's wrong?"

"I... uh... I slipped." she lied. "Wasn't paying enough attention, I guess." Climbing back to her feet with Ron's help, she gave him a kind smile. "Thanks."

"Any time." He smiled back. "Besides, I'm supposed to be the clumsy one."

Looking around, Kim realized that she was in the place where the "imposter" had slammed into the fuselage. "She banged her head here," Kim whispered. "I wonder..." Turning around, she reached down and pulled a pair of spectroscopic sunglasses from one of her cargo pockets.

Ron watched silently as she peered close to the wall. Suddenly, she leaned closer and grunted. "What is it, KP?"

Ignoring him, Kim pulled out the Kimmunicator. "Wade, I have what looks like a sample of hair here. Can you run a DNA scan?"

Wade's face appeared on the screen. "Sure thing. I've been itching to try out the new sequencing software that I downloaded last week."

Kim held the Kimmunicator up and waited as a bright blue beam lanced out of the device and washed over the small patch of crimson hair that had caught around a rivet. The beam faded, and Kim looked at the screen expectantly. "How long 'til you have something?"

Wade began typing furiously. "I have to access the government databases, as well as the national medical records. Could take a while. Depends on a lot of things."

Kim nodded, trying to hide her disappointment. "Let me know as soon as you have something."

"You'll be the first to know." Wade said before the screen blanked.

"Have you found something?" Will asked, walking over to the pair.

Ron straightened and puffed out his chest. "What if we have?"

Will eyed him evenly. "I remind you that your presence here is due to my influence with the local authorities. Influence that can easily be... redirected."

Kim groaned softly, her head beginning to throb. "We really appreciate you using your influence to let us stay, Will. We honestly do." _NOT,_ she added silently. "There's a bit of hair here, snagged on a rivet. Could be important."

Will pushed up next to her and leaned close, his eyes narrowing. "This could be vital evidence. I'll have to ask you to step away." He straightened and motioned towards two white-smocked men, who quickly approached.

Kim and Ron dutifully stepped out of the way as the two technicians began examining the evidence. Talking softly to themselves, the two men probed the site with tweezers before pulling a few strands of hair free.

"Dude, what are they doing?" Ron asked, watching as the technicians placed the hair into the top of a cylindrical object studded with blinking lights, a long cable running down to a briefcase-sized black box.

Will smirked. "The latest technology from Global Justice R&D. A portable genetic analysis laboratory. With a built-in wireless link to access the Global Justice DNA library."

"Cool." Ron said. Leaning to Kim, he whispered, "What the heck did that mean?"

Kim smiled. "It allows them to examine the DNA of a genetic sample, Ron." She looked at him. "Like they do on CSI."

Ron smiled. "Ah, cool. I love that show. Don't understand it most of the time, but I love it."

The Global Justice device began beeping and humming, small wisps of vapor escaping from various ports and valves as it vibrated hard enough that it began moving across the floor..

"It's not going to explode, is it?" Ron asked, sliding over to stand slightly behind Kim.

One of the technicians looked at him. "No. That particular problem was corrected in the last upgrade."

The other tech cleared his throat. "Actually, that's slated for correction in the _next_ upgrade."

"Oh," the first tech replied. "Well, the odds against it actually detonating are... what? Three to one?"

"More like one and a half to one."

"That's great, guys." Kim said, rolling her eyes.

A final loud beep sounded, then the lights on the device all began blinking green. The techs both grinned. "Ah, sequencing complete. Now accessing the Global Justice databases."

Will smiled triumphantly. "Excellent."

The Kimmunicator beeped loudly, and Kim excused herself and walked down the stairs, standing in the shade beneath one of the plane's wings. "Go, Wade."

Wade regarded her warily. "Kim, are you alone?"

"Yes. Well, Ron's here, but everyone else is busy elsewhere. Why?"

"I've got a match to the sample you found. A thirty-point match. Aside from some strange anomalies, we've got a positive ID."

"You rock, Wade."

"Yeah, well, maybe," the young genius said, averting his eyes.

Kim felt a sudden unease grip her. "Wade, what's wrong? You seem kind of... worried."

Wade swallowed. "Kim, the genetic sample matches your own DNA."

She felt her blood run cold. "What? How is that possible?"

"Did you get some of your own hair in the sample?" he asked hopefully.

"No," she replied, sinking to her knees. "You scanned exactly what I found. I didn't touch it."

"I was afraid of that. The DNA in that sample matches yours almost perfectly. More than well enough to stand up in any court." Wade looked away. "Way more than enough."

She tried to speak, found her throat unwilling to cooperate, finally managed to squeak out, "Almost perfect?"

Wade tapped at his keyboard before continuing. "There's some minor genetic abnormalities, mostly in the genes associated with reflexes and the senses."

Ron stepped up beside Kim, eyeing her with obvious concern. "What, the lady lacks sense? Sounds like my kind of girl."

"Wrong kind of sense, Ron." Wade sighed. "I was talking senses in terms of sight and smell and such." Wade looked up, staring straight at Kim through the Kimmunicator's small screen. "I'm running a full analysis of the DNA sequence. There's something about it that doesn't add up, and I'm going to find out what it is."

Kim nodded absently. "Thanks Wade. You're the best."

Ron frowned. "It has to be Drakken. You know how he is with cloning people. Especially you. Must be at it again."

Kim nodded thoughtfully. "Maybe you're right, Ron. That would explain it." _Well, most of it. But what about the hallucinations I'm having?_

Footsteps on the airplane's stairway brought her head around. Will Du walked over to where she and Ron were standing, his expression carefully neutral. "The DNA search is complete."

Kim nodded, rising to her feet slowly, a sudden leaden feeling in her belly. "Same here. Let me guess..."

"I think we need to talk, Kimberly." He motioned to two nearby policemen, who quickly approached.

Ron stepped in front of her, shielding her. "Now wait just a minute."

She touched his shoulder gently. "It's okay, Ron. I don't mind."

"But..."

"It's okay," she insisted. "I fight crime. I don't run from the law. And I didn't do anything, so there's nothing to be worried about."

Ron looked thoroughly unconvinced, but said nothing.

Will favored her with an unreadable expression. "Officer, we will need to utilize one of your... meeting rooms. If you don't mind."

Ron stepped up. "I'm coming too."

Will glanced at him. "I don't think..."

"Hey, we're a team. Team Possible. I may be nothing more than the distraction most of the time, but that doesn't matter." He puffed out his chest. "Where Kim goes, I go."

"Ron..." Kim blinked at him. _Where did THAT come from?_

Will cocked an eyebrow. "I see. As I was about to say, I don't think that will be a problem."

Ron had the sense to look sheepish. "Oh. Sorry."

Will motioned towards a nearby car. "This way, please."

----

She crouched in the bushes, watching as her younger self climbed into the police car, followed by Ron, and then Will. Her heart gave a sudden _thump_ at the sight of Ron, his hair unkempt, eyes following her younger self's every more. A dull ache suffused her as long-buried memories fought for release from the depths into which they'd been imprisoned. Turning from the sight of him, she savagely cursed under her breath, hands balled into trembling fists. _Damn it, not now! He's not him! He's not MY Ron! He's not!_

The car pulled away and turned onto the street, quickly accelerating and disappearing in the distance. Reigning in her emotions, she let out a breath and forced herself to relax, to focus on the immediate situation. _Well, so much for worrying about getting in my own way. Although it might be interesting to take some time to sit and talk to myself for a while._ She smiled at the thought. _Well, maybe next time._

She slowly crawled backwards, easing away from the legal circus that had surrounded Adrena Lynn's aircraft, humming a Gaelic tune as she did so.

----

End Chapter Four

----


	6. Chapter 5 : Accusations

This is a revised release : I've been away from this story for quite a while, and now that I'm back, I've gone back through a tweaked a few things to better match what I've got planned. Sorry for the delays in continuing this story.

-------------------------------

KIM POSSIBLE: FUTURE IMPERFECT

Chapter Five

"Accusations"

-------------------------------

Kim Possible sat quietly, lips pursed in thought as she stared at the mirror that dominated the wall across from her. _One-way_, she observed. _How cliché._

It had been nearly two hours since she had been "escorted" here by Will Du and a veritable army of Spanish police officers, left in the too-chilly and too-brightly lit interrogation room, and seemingly forgotten. The Kimmunicator had be confiscated, but she wasn't worried about that - if Wade thought there was something important to tell her, he'd find a way. He always did. She didn't even know where they had taken Ron, which was more upsetting than she had expected it to be. It surprised her just how much she was missing his chatter, especially now. The silence, disturbed only by the faint whirr of the air conditioning system, was getting on her nerves.

_Which, I suppose, is the point, _she mused. _At least I don't need to use the bathroom. Yet._

Not that she needed the silence to unnerve her. The events of the past day had done a good enough job of that, to be sure. Two murders, of two criminals that she had tangled with before. Murders that she had experienced some sort of _visions_ about - bloody, violent, raging hallucinations that came without warning, unbidden and unwanted. The most likely suspect : a woman who seemed to be intent on taking Kim's own identity and making it her own, albeit with some dubious fashion choices.

And now, to cap it off, the DNA found on Adrena Lynn's plane pointed squarely at Kim herself. Meaning that she, rather than the imposter, was the prime suspect in the eyes of both the Spanish authorities and Global Justice. But even considering that, Will had been unexpectedly considerate during the ride to the station.

It was enough to make her head spin.

She sighed and examined herself in the mirror, comparing what she saw with what she had seen of the imposter. She wondered what the other woman was doing now. With a shudder, she realized that she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

----

The helicopter raced along at tree-top level, expertly dodging around and over the taller obstacles that flashed by.

Inside, the pilot watched the terrain pass by absently, her eyes taking in everything, her body instinctively controlling the helicopter as her mind followed its own paths. The feelings she had so successfully managed to control earlier were slowly bubbling to the surface, bringing with them the emotional baggage that she desperately wanted to avoid.

Seeing him had been so, so hard. Harder than she had expected it to be. Even though he was so much younger than _her_ Ron, so much softer, so much goofier, it was easy enough for her to see the man he would one day become. The man she had come to love, and who had loved her. Loved her so much that he...

A muted squeal sounded in the cockpit. Looking down, she cursed softly upon seeing that she had crushed the grip on the control yoke.

Growling softly, she blinked back tears and settled deeper into her seat. Dwelling on the past... well, _her_ past, at least, wouldn't solve anything. Besides, that was the whole reason she had come back - to save him. To save everyone, including herself. Despite Will's best attempts at stopping her, she was well on her way to achieving that goal. She had gotten her younger self out of the way, and with a few more strikes the circle would be broken. Then, finally, she could be with her loved ones again.

She glanced out the window as the terrain below gave way to choppy seas. A quick check of the instruments revealed that she was on course, and she allowed herself a small smile. _Soon, Ron. Soon, we'll be together again. And heaven help anyone who gets in my way._

----

"Seriously, dude, it was obvious right from the start," Ron stated firmly, crossing his arms across his chest. "Ron and Hermione are meant to be together, no doubt about it. All the signs are there."

"And you are an excellent student of the romantic arts, yes?" the Spanish officer replied, leaning back in his chair and smirking. "This whole fascination with the pairing of Ron and Hermione is baffling to me. It is Harry that she is destined to be with. I am certain of it."

Ron thought for a moment. "That's assuming that Harry is going to survive the last book."

The officer's reply was cut short when the door swung open and Will Du walked in, carrying a manila folder . "Officer Cortino, how are things progressing?" the Global Justice Agent asked casually.

Cortino straightened slightly and shot Ron a look before replying. "He has been extremely... cooperative, Agent Du. However, it appears that he knows little that will be of value to the investigation."

"No doubt." Will replied, "Would you mind if I asked a few questions of my own?"

Ron looked up at Will, fighting back the sudden unease he felt. "Where's Kim?"

Will sat down and flipped through the folder. "She's safe. That's all you need to know right now," he answered without looking up.

Ron blinked. "I want to see her. Now."

"You will, after we get done questioning the both of you." Will glanced over at him. "Where were you at roughly eleven this morning?"

"I was.... um... with Kim, I think" Ron scratched his chin for a moment before nodding. "Yep, that's it. I was with Kim."

"That's helpful." Will deadpanned. "And where, exactly, was that?"

Ron leaned back and rubbed his chin in thought. "We were dissecting frogs. Biology class, you know."

He wrote something on a sheet of paper he pulled out of the folder. "So you were in school?"

"Like I'd actually dissect a frog anywhere else?" Ron answered. "Even he was a virtual one..."

"He?"

"Eugene. My frog."

Will's eyebrows lifted minutely. "You... named it?"

Ron nodded. "Couldn't well dissect him without giving him a name, could I? That would be so... impersonal."

"Right." More writing on the paper. "And were you together last night?"

"Why?"

Will looked up from the folder. "Because I want to know."

"Oh, okay," Ron shrugged. "Then yes, we were together."

"Where?"

"Her place." Ron replied. "Then Wade called, and we went to some country, what was the name.... um.... brasso? Brassiere? Oh, darn it..."

"Brazil?" Will offered.

"Yes! Brazil! That's it." Ron nodded to himself. "Kim went down to help save a colony of wild bats from some poachers."

Scribble scribble went Will's pen. "And you went along?"

"Oh, you know, moral support and all." Ron wiggled his hands in what Will guessed was an imitation of a flying bat. "Those things give her the creeps. I went to keep her focused."

Will pulled out a photo and laid it down in front of Ron. The picture was grainy, but recognizable. Ron colored as Will said, "Actually, you ran down the mountain screaming loud enough to scare the bats away, along with several nearby villages and trio of Greenpeace activists."

"Well, I wouldn't put it quite that way..." Ron said moodily. "Hey! If you already knew, why the heck did you ask?"

"Just to see what you would say." Will replied, tucking the photo back into the folder and standing up. Turning to the Spanish officer he said, "I'm through here. Keep him detained until Global Justice says otherwise."

----

"I love a lassie, a bonnie Hielan' lassie,   
If you saw her you would fancy her as well:   
I met her in September, popped the question in November,   
So I'll soon be havin' her a' to ma-sel'."

Duff Killigan sang softly to himself as he carefully eyed up all the potential breaks along the green, expertly evaluating and discarding each one until he settled upon the one true path that would lead between the ball and the cup. He squared his shoulders and calmed his breathing, easily settling into a well-practiced rhythm. Breathe in, breathe out, in, out a bit, hold and....

A measured tap, and the ball snaked it's way across the S-shaped break that he had laid out. He interrupted his song long enough to murmur, "Get down. C'mon, ye durned beastie, get down!" Eyes alight, he watched as the ball curved into the cap and sank with a satisfying rattle.

Killigan grunted in satisfaction and began walking towards the cup, intent on retrieving his ball. As he bent down to reach into the cup, an icy breeze whipped across the green, ruffling his kilt and raising Goosebumps on his exposed flesh. Shivering slightly against the chill, he turned his eyes to the mist-shrouded shores of his island home.

"Aye, laddie," he murmured softly, tossing the ball into the air and catching it with practiced ease, "'Tis a fell breeze that blows this morn'. Feels like a storm's blowin' in."

Killigan turned and walked briskly back to his castle, idly rubbing the back of his neck, smoothing down the raised hairs he found there.

----

Kim straightened as the door to the interrogation room opened. Will and three Spanish police officers entered the room, two officers flanking the door while Will and the third officer sat down across the table from Kim. Will calmly sat a thick folder on the table and opened it, flipping casually through the pages within until he found what he was looking for.

Kim sat quietly, watching Will as he methodically pulled several sheets from the folder and arranged them on the table in front of him. Her impatience began to mount as he proceeded to examine each sheet individually, nodding slowly to himself as he did so. He continued this activity for what seemed like hours to her, until she was seriously calculating the chances that she would be able to reach across the table and wring the agent's neck before the police could stop her.

Fortunately for Will, he chose that moment to look up from his papers. "So, Kimberly," he said slowly, "How have you been?"

She forced down her irritation and tried to sound casual as she replied, "Oh, you know, cheerleading, cooking class, saving the world, it just eats up so much of my time. And you?"

"And yet you have the time to travel all the way to Spain?"

_So much for small talk. _She thought a moment before replying. "I heard that something happened to Adrena Lynn. I wanted to check it out for myself."

"I see." Will leaned back. "When, exactly, was the last time that you saw Adrena Lynn?"

"Two months ago. She was up to her old tricks." She smirked. "I'm sure you have a file on it."

"Yes." Will replied simply, ignoring the jab. "Now, tell me about your mission last night, undertaken at twenty forty-five hours local time."

Kim sighed. _Great, just great._

----

Duff Killigan slowly made his way up the stone stairs that spiraled their way to the top of the medieval keep that he called home. His footsteps echoed loudly off of the stone walls, the rhythmic taps working that mysterious magic on him, the fatigue of a long day on the greens ebbing away with each step. But there was a lingering nervousness that not even the soothing touch of ancient stone could help.

He'd heard over the radio of the deaths of both Señor Senior, Junior and Adrena Lynn. The icy winds that were now howling over the island now seemed even more ominous than they had before. He knew next to nothing about Adrena Lynn, but he was well aware of Junior, and of the pedigree from which he hailed. More than enough to know that whoever it was that had ended Junior's life, he had to be very, _very_ good.

What kind of world were they living in that a person of Junior's status could so easily be taken out? It depressed him somewhat to realize that the world was not as safe as he thought it was.

Outside, a distant thumping sound became audible over the moaning of the wind. Duff paused by a small stone window and peered out, squinting against the icy air that blew against his face. In the distance, barely visible through the fog, a small aircraft was moving towards the castle. It quickly closed the distance, and he frowned.

_A helicopter, 'ere? Wha' in the world?_

He watched the helicopter move closer, the hairs on the back of his neck straightening. He gasped when he realized that not only was the helicopter flying straight towards the keep, it was _accelerating_ towards it.

Duff gave out a startled yelp and dove down the steps, moments before the keep exploded around him.

----

Kim groaned in frustration. "For the twentieth time, I was not in Cordoba until about four hours ago. I did not meet Adrena Lynn, nor did I do anything to her." She placed her hands on the table and levered herself up, leaning forward to glare at the Global Justice agent sitting across from her. "How many times do I have to tell you this, Will?"

Will favored her with an almost sympathetic look. "Kimberly, I understand your frustration. But there are things about this... situation... that I am having problems with."

"The DNA," she murmured.

"The DNA," he agreed, nodding. "DNA does not lie, Kimberly. As you yourself have admitted, you did not bump your head on the aircraft, nor are you injured. Yet somehow your DNA came to be there. And several witnesses have placed you at the landing site."

"And on an aircraft halfway across the Atlantic _at the same time,_" she pointed out.

Will shrugged. "The inconsistencies are a cause of great concern." He settled back in his seat and steepled his fingers. "I honestly don't know what to think, Kimberly. There is nothing in your file to indicate any sort of violent tendencies of this sort. And, while you may be skilled in your own way, I truly do not believe that you have the necessary training to do the things that have been done." He glanced down to a photograph of Junior's crime scene. "Especially to Señor Senior, Junior."

Kim settled back into her seat, avoiding looking at the crime scene photos. "Thanks, I think." She pursed her lips. "I'm no killer, Will."

"I believe that's what I just said."

Kim opened her mouth to reply, but a wave of nausea slammed into her stomach. Fighting to keep her composure, Kim glanced at the mirror on the far wall. _Oh, God. Now what?_

_She picked her way through the smoking rubble, crouched in a ready position, eyes dancing about, taking in every detail. "Come out, come out, where-ever you are," she called out. "I'm just a wee lass, after all... what's to be afraid of?"_

_"A nigh-well mental woman 'as just blown up a goodly portion of me castle," a gruff male voice replied, "Seems like a goo' enough reason to me." She swiveled her head, trying to determine where it was coming from as he continued, "Are ye an ol' girlfriend or somethin'?"_

_She almost laughed at the thought. "Not quite, Killigan. But if you come out I promise to show you a really good time."_

_Killigan's voice replied again, quieter this time. "I thin' I'll decline your offer, lassie. Maybe next time." The sound of retreating footsteps was clearly evident._

_She scrambled up a pile of broken stone and wood, eyes flickering in the fading light. In the distance, she could see Killigan racing away towards an undamaged part of the castle. "Playing hard to get is only going to irritate me, Killigan!" she called after him. She jumped down from her vantage point and began walking slowly after him._

_A new sound became audible above the howl of the wind and the crackle of flames. She turned her face to the sky and sighed. "Well, I was wondering when you'd get back in the game..."_

"...wever, we cannot simply let you go, considering the preponderance of evidence that is arrayed against you." Will turned away from the mirror and looked at her. "I just do not know what to... are you alright?"

Kim blinked at him, the icy needles of gooseflesh rippling across her entire body. "Killigan..." she breathed softly.

"What was that?"

Kim frowned. _Now what, genius?_

The beeping of the Kimmunicator rang out in the interrogation room. Kim jumped to her feet and Will cast an annoyed glance her way as he pulled the device out of his cargo pockets. The screen flickered to life and Wade's frowning face appeared. "Kim, I've got... you're not Kim."

Will cocked an eyebrow. "Obviously. How did you get through? We're jamming the carrier frequencies."

Wade shrugged. "Ancient Chinese Secret."

"What?" Will asked. Kim barely stifled a snicker.

Wade sighed. "I piggybacked on your satellite communication signal. Now, can I talk to Kim?"

Will rubbed the bridge of his nose. "She's right here. Say what you need to say and get it over with."

"I'd rather talk to her in private," Wade countered.

Kim walked over so Wade could see her. "It's okay, Wade. What's the sitch?"

Wade hesitated moment. "On a hunch, I've been using the military surveillance satellite network to keep an eye on the known locations of all the major criminals that you've tangled with in the past. I figured that if someone was taking them out..."

"Yes, yes," Will interrupted, "That's all well and good. What does it have to do with-"

"Duff Killigan's castle exploded ten minutes ago."

Will froze. "What?"

The Kimmunicator's screen flickered to a black-and-white video feed showing an aerial view of a castle. As Will and Kim watched, an object moved across the screen and impacted the castle, which disappeared in a cloud of fire and smoke.

Wade's face reappeared. "Thermal detectors show two, maybe three people on the island. If one of them is Killigan..."

Will _harumphed_ loudly as he tossed the Kimmunicator to Kim and pressed a button on his wrist. "I need to speak to Dr. Director, immediately."

Kim turned away from Will and held the Kimmunicator close. "Anything else, Wade?"

The young genius nodded. "I just finished analyzing that DNA. There are definite signs of genetic manipulation."

Kim sighed in relief. "So it _is_ fake. Thank God."

"That's not what I said," Wade said, holding up a hand. "The base DNA is yours, no doubt about it. But there have been definite modifications made. Multiple splices and grafts. Really expert-level stuff."

"A clone?" Kim asked.

"That's the only conclusion that makes any sense," Wade agreed. "Which means..."

"Drakken," she growled. "That no-good, son of a-"

"But ma'am, I can handle this on-" Will's raised voice interrupted her. "I assure you that... but... yes, ma'am. I understand."

Will turned to her. "Dr. Director would like for you to... accompany... me, Kimberly."

"To where?"

"My aircraft. We're going to check on Killigan." Will replied.

Kim nodded. "And Ron."

Will wrinkled his nose. "And Stoppable, too."

"What about me?" Ron asked, following a Spanish policeman into the room.

"We're going with Will, Ron." Kim answered, walking over and grabbing Ron in a bear hug. "You okay?"

Ron blinked in surprise before returning the embrace. "Couldn't be better, KP. So, where we going?"

"Killigan's island," Will answered.

"Okay," Ron said slowly. "As long as this isn't going to be a three-hour tour or anything."

Kim snickered at Will's perplexed expression. "I don't get it," he said slowly.

"Don't worry about it. Let's go," Kim said, motioning for the door.

----

End Chapter Five

----

Lyrics are from the song Duff is singing are from "I Love a Lassie" by Sir Harry Lauder


	7. Chapter 6 : Intersections I

-------------------------------

KIM POSSIBLE: FUTURE IMPERFECT

Chapter Six

"Intersections I"

-------------------------------

Kim and Ron sat quietly in the rear of the cockpit as Will piloted the Global Justice jet over the wind-whipped waters of the North Sea. Kim was holding the Kimmunicator in her lap, waiting for an update from Wade. Ron was staring idly out the canopy, singing the "Gilligan's Island" theme to himself. Rufus was sitting on his shoulder, providing the harmony.

"Do you really need to repeat that song over and over?" Will said, engaging the autopilot and turning to look at Ron.

Ron shrugged. "I can't help it. I've got that darned song in my head now, and I can't get it out."

"Head hurts," Rufus added, nodding.

Will sighed. "Can't you sing something else? Something less irritating?"

"I guess." Ron thought for a moment. "Like what?"

Rufus snapped his fingers. "Green Acres!"

"Darn it, Rufus!" Ron cried, "Not that one!"

"Rawhide?" Rufus asked hopefully.

"No!"

"Brady Bunch!"

"For the love ofGod, NO!"

The Kimmunicator sang it's own song, interrupting the conversation. "What's the sitch, Wade?" Kim asked.

"I've got an update on the island," Wade stated, fingers tapping madly on a hidden keyboard. "The sheer volume of smoke is blocking visual surveillance, and several large fires have made thermal imaging all but impossible. However, I can confirm that no one has left the island by aircraft or by boat."

"Is this a good thing?" Ron asked.

Wade shrugged. "Beats me. But there's something else - ten minutes after the first explosion, a helicopter approached the island from the south."

Will frowned. "I thought you said that no one left the island?"

"I did," Wade replied. "The helicopter ditched in the water just offshore and sank. Nothing with sufficient resolution for an identification was in the area at the time, but one individual clearly swam to shore." He punched a few keys. "I'm attempting to get a better image from the video feed, but I won't be done with it before you get there. Sorry."

"It's okay, Wade." Kim sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, eyes closed in thought. "If this person was an accomplice, he or she would have landed, wouldn't they?"

Will thought for a moment before replying, "Not necessarily. Could be another assassin, using the initial assault as a means to infiltrate the island undetected."

"Maybe he was just a really bad pilot?" Ron added hopefully.

Will shot Ron an unreadable look. "All that this means is that our suspect or suspects are most likely still on the island."

"I don't suppose we could call in the army or something, could we?" Ron asked.

Will shook his head. "I've requested backup, but the closest Global Justice team won't be in position for another hour and a half, at the earliest."

"Maybe we should wait," Kim mused. "We could be walking right into a trap."

Will smirked. "I'm confident that we'll be able to handle anything that comes up."

"I hope so, Will," Kim said softly, sinking down into her seat. "I hope so."

A soft chime sounded in the cockpit. "We're coming up on the island. We should touch down in a few minutes," Will announced, turning around and disengaging the autopilot.

"Please fasten your seat belts and return your tray tables to their upright positions," Ron said absently.

Kim sighed and looked out of the canopy. Seeing the column of black smoke rising into the sky, she couldn't help but frown.

"You alright, KP?" Ron asked softly, the worry evident on his face.

She smiled at him. "I'm fine, Ron. It's just... well... I've got a bad feeling about this."

He blinked. "Getting heebie jeebies is supposed to be my job, KP."

"I'll keep that in mind, Ron," she replied. The plane bucked, and Kim had to hold onto her seat to keep from being thrown against her seat belt. Ron, his own belt not fastened, bounced out of his seat with a wail and landed in a heap behind Kim's seat. "Try to get us there in one piece, Will!"

"Turbulence from the fires," he said simply. Turning to look at Ron, who was climbing back to his seat, Will added, "Stoppable should have taken his own advice. Fasten your seat belts and hang on. This is going to be a bit rough."

----

Kim surveyed the damage done to Killigan's castle and shook her head. "My God," she whispered.

The castle itself was nothing more than a shell of its former self, towering columns of flame burning in at least five separate places, thick plumes of smoke rising from the rest, merging into a single, massive cloud of blackness that blocked the sunlight, casting a dark pall over the entire island. The air was thick with acrid smoke and glowing embers, making it difficult to breathe. There wasn't a single tower that remained upright, and the outer walls were breached in several places. The sharp _crack_ of shattering stone filled the air with a staccato thunder reminiscent of gunfire.

"What now?" Ron asked, coughing into his hand.

Will looked around. "We'll need to split up. If Killigan's still alive, we need to find him, fast."

"Ron and I will take the north," Kim volunteered.

"Then I'll take the south," Will countered. He pulled out a small device and handed it to Kim. "This is a secure comm. If you find anything..."

"You'll be the first to know."

Will nodded to the two of them, then turned and walked off.

"So..." Ron said, "We're just going to wander around the place until... what?"

"Until we find something," Kim replied.

Ron looked around nervously. "Or until something finds us."

Kim swallowed the lump that was trying to form in her throat and smiled reassuringly. "Just stick close to me, Ron. Let's go."

----

Will carefully worked his way through the collapsed remains of a small stone building, his eyes surveying the scene, looking for anything that might be of interest. The acrid clouds of choking smoke that were wafting through the ruins reduced visibility greatly, and he was all too aware that we was at a disadvantage should anyone attempt to ambush him. Of course, his Global Justice training and personal skills more than made up for any minor environmental effects.

A splash of crimson color amongst the ash and soot-coated rubble drew his attention. Reaching down, he gently touched the sticky fluid and rubbed a bit of it between his fingers. Eyes narrowing, he expertly picked out the trail of blood drops and smears that led deeper into the wreckage of the castle. He reached down to his belt, touched the comm unit strapped there, lips pursed in thought. He glanced at the blood on his fingertips, then shook his head and began cautiously following the trail, head turning to and fro as he looked for any signs of impending ambush.

----

Kim looked around as she walked, a pair of Wade's radiographic imaging glasses allowing her to see fairly clearly through the billowing clouds of acrid smoke. Despite the heat from the fires all around, her skin was crawling with goose bumps, and a leaden lump had settled firmly in her chest. She tried to shake off the nervousness, tried to tell herself that she was being needlessly worried, but her instincts were telling her otherwise.

Behind her, Ron's feet went out from under him and he fell roughly to the ground, a cloud of fine ash rising up around him. "Damn," he coughed.

Kim ran back to him. "Ron! Are you okay?"

Ron crawled to his knees. "I'm fine, KP. I slipped. Must've stepped on..." His eyes widened, "...something."

Kim followed his gaze and frowned. The ground was littered with a dozen or more small silver rods, each about an inch in length, the ends of each one discolored and partially melted. She picked up one of the rods and rolled it between her fingers. "What the heck is this?"

Ron shrugged. "Beats the heck out of me."

Rufus emerged from behind the charred remains of an overturned bookcase and held up an oblong object. "Fore!" he cried.

Kim reached out and took the object. "The head of a golf club," she muttered. She glanced back at the small silver rods scattered all over the floor. "Killigan was here."

"I hope he's in better shape than his club." Ron climbed to his feet and brushed at the ash that stained his pants. "Aw, man, I was hoping to go another day or so before I needed to wash these."

Kim held up the secure comm. "Will, we've found something."

Static.

"Will? Will, can you hear me? Will?" Kim exchanged looks with Ron and pulled out the Kimmunicator. "Wade?"

Wade's face appeared on the screen, which was criss-crossed with flickering black lines. "I'm on it, Kim. Seems to be a lot of interference in your area." Wade glanced to the side and tapped rapidly on his keyboard. "Looks like someone's set up a jamming system. Global Justice's secure comms only use a double system." He smiled proudly. "Fortunately the Kimmunicator uses a quadruple-redundancy system."

"Sounds to me like their secure comms aren't as secure as they think they are," Ron stated. "And they aren't nearly as stylish as the Kimmunicator."

Kim sighed. "Any idea what could be causing the interference?"

"Global Justice's comms should be able to penetrate the jamming without too much trouble. Which means that there's something else." Wade thought for a moment. "Only two things come to mind. One would be close proximity to an unshielded fusion reactor."

"What, we're gonna start glowing in the dark?" Ron asked. Rufus groaned.

Kim shook her head. "Somehow I doubt that Killigan has a nuclear reactor hidden anywhere around here."

"Granted," Wade acknowledged. "The other possibility is a high-output plasma generator. But he'd have to be pretty close for it to block his comm."

"Plasma..." Kim whispered. _The killer. My God._ "Wade, can you pinpoint Will's comm?" Kim asked

A flurry of keystrokes. "Not precisely, whatever's jamming his comm is blocking the tracking signal, too," he conceded. "But I can direct you to his last known position if you'd like."

"Please, and thank you." She turned to look at Ron. "Come on. Let's go find Will."

"Think he's in trouble?" Ron asked.

Kim hesitated. "I hope not."

----

The trail led Will down into the bowels of the castle, into long-unused dungeons beneath the now-destroyed central keep, to a large wooden door. A charred circle clearly indicated where the door's latch had once been. Pistol in hand, he cautiously prodded the heavy wooden door, which swung aside with the muted squeal of overstressed but well-lubricated hinges. Will wrinkled his nose as the smell of burnt flesh and body fluids became much more pronounced.

Within the darkened room beyond, something thumped on the floor.

He pressed himself to the wall beside the open door and cast a long look around the fire-lit hallway before pulling a small flashlight from his belt and snapping it onto his pistol. "Possible, this is Du. Come in," he said into his wrist-mounted comm. "Possible, come in." He pursed his lips. "Typical."

Taking a moment to steel himself, Will stepped away from the wall. He dove through the doorway, executing a perfect tuck-and-roll that carried him clear of the opening. Now crouched inside the room, he swept his light from side to side, quickly surveying the interior of the chamber. Long wooden racks lined the walls, racks that had once held row up row of pikes and lances and other medieval weaponry, but now served to store hundreds of golf clubs. A large pile of crates dominated the center of the room. One of them was broken open, revealing a large number of small white spheres within. Golf balls, he realized.

_Armory,_ Will thought to himself, tightening his grip on his own weapon. _Perfect place for Killigan to barricade himself. So, where is he?_

Scanning the room again, his light illuminated a swath of tattered tartan on the far side of the mountain of crates. Quickly crossing the distance to the torn fabric, he gasped when he realized that the multi-colored cloth was part of Killigan's kilt, and that Killigan was still wearing it. What was left of him, at least.

Will spun around and raised his comm. "Possible! I've found Killigan! Possible, do you hear me?!"

Static was the only response.

"Damn it," Will swore. "Damn it!"

Behind him, Killigan groaned.

Will backed up a step, eyes widening. _He couldn't possibly still be **alive**, could he?_ Mentally kicking himself for his moment of weakness, Will knelt down by the gravely injured Scotsman. Panning his flashlight over Killigan's shuddering form, Will grimaced at what he saw. Clothes torn and burnt, the flesh beneath similarly damaged. Left arm broken and twisted back against itself. Face ripped, chest torn, viscera exposed, and blood... so much blood.

Swallowing against the bile in his throat, Will leaned close. "My name is Will Du, Killigan. I'm here to help you."

Killigan's shuddering increased and Will feared that he was having a seizure. It was only after a moment that he realized that the hideous gurgling he heard was not a spasm, but laughter. Humorless, dark laughter.

"Aye, laddie," Killigan wheezed, "I remember ye'. Ye' stuck up bastaird, you were with _her_."

"Trust me," Will assured, hoping he sounded sincere. "I'm here to help. You're going to be fine."

"I'm dyin', ye daft bastaird," Killigan heaved a mighty wheeze, blood flecking his lips. "'Tis nothin' you can do 'bout it. We both ken it."

"I..." Will's voice faltered. Swallowing hard, he continued. "Who was it, Killigan? Who did this?"

Killigan groaned. "T'was that durn radje woman. Th' one ye' pal 'round wit'."

"Woman? What woman?" Will grabbed Killigan's shoulder, eliciting a hiss of pain from the dying man. "What woman?"

Killigan turned to face him and Will recoiled. Two glistening golf balls rested in the torn sockets where his eyes used to be. With a start, Will realized that they were actually Killigan's own signature explosive golf balls. "My God," Will whispered.

"It was _her_," Killigan gasped. "It was Possible."

Will averted his gaze. "Kim Possible?"

Killigan coughed. "Aye. The De'il himself, made flesh."

_Impossible, he must be delirious._ Will pulled out his field first aid kit, realizing as he did so that it was a futile gesture. "Stay with me, Killigan. Stay with me! Tell me, where'd she go? Where?"

A squeak behind him. Will's instincts flared to life and he spun around.

"Actually," said the figure that emerged from the shadows behind the door, "I never left."

----

Kim raced along the rubble-strewn courtyard, mindful of both the debris scattered along her path and Ron's labored breathing behind her. Glancing down at the Kimmunicator, she took note of the blip showing Will's last known location, as well as her own, and adjusted her path accordingly.

The icy grip that clutched her heart earlier had settled down to a dull ache, a deep-seated sense of dread of what she would find when she located Will. _If I find him at all,_ she added silently. Still, the fact that she hadn't experienced any flashbacks, or visions, or whatever you wanted to call them, was a comfort.

"KP!" Ron called out, "Are (pant) we (gasp) there (wheeze) yet (puff)?"

She turned her head to look back at him. "About halfwa-"

_She knelt down over Killigan's body, leaning close over his face. "Now, where were we, hmmm?"_

_Killigan, for his part, gave only a thin, high-pitched wail in response._

_She smiled down and snapped her fingers. "Ah! I remember, now." Seizing his head with her left hand, she forced him to look at her with his new eyes. "This is for Jim," she hissed, reaching up with her right hand and forcefully flicking one of the golf balls, activating the built-in timer. "And this is for Tim," she said, repeating the action with the other ball._

_"I dinnae want t' die," Killigan whimpered._

_"Neither did they," she growled. Dropping Killigan's head back to the floor, she rose and quickly walked over to the door. She glanced over her shoulder at Will, who was lying prostrate on the opposite side of the room. "Enjoy the show, Will. And say hello to me when I get here. Ciao!" With that, she exited the room and pulled the door shut behind her._

Kim tumbled to a stop, only her natural agility allowing her to avoid bashing her head on a large rock as she did so. Even so, it was a painful landing, and she cried out in pain as her knees dug into the hard ground.

"Kim!" Ron shouted, sliding to a stop beside her. "Kim, are you okay?"

_Should've known it was too good to be true._ She gingerly climbed back to her feet. "I'm fine. Thanks, Ron."

"What happened? You were running along, and then you just sort of..."

"I tripped," she replied. "I guess I-"

A muffled _THA-WHUMP_ sounded in the distance.

Kim's eyes widened. "Will..." she breathed. "Oh, no." Kim motioned for Ron to follow her. "Come on!"

"Wait, KP, couldn't I just take a breather for a minute?"

"No time, Ron." The Kimmunicator chimed and Kim held it up. "What's the sitch, Wade?"

"Will's comm is clear. I've got a positive lock on his position."

"You rock, Wade." Kim turned to the comm. "Will? Will, can you hear me? Will?!"

Rufus peeked out of Ron's pocket. "Oh, no," the rodent intoned softly.

"Come on, Ron," Kim said, using the tracking signal on the Kimmunicator to orient herself.

"Okay, okay," Ron replied, inhaling deeply. "Let's go, before I pass out or something."

They crossed the courtyard without any further trouble, passing through a large stone archway into what looked like a series of long, rectangular rooms, attached along their long axes by enormous, open double doors. Fires ate at the draperies and paintings that lined the walls, filling the rooms with a multi-layered pall of reeking smoke. The wooden floor was blackened in spots, streamers of smoke rising from numerous places, adding to the clouds that permeated the entire area.

Kim took in the scene quickly, evaluating the potential dangers. "Stay near the walls, Ron, in case the fires have weakened the floor."

"You got it, KP."

She had just reached the far side of the room when the floor beneath her feet shuddered, something below giving way with a tremendous _CRACK_. "Ron, watch out! The floor!" she cried, leaping high into the air, diving for the door.

Ron, who was right behind her, tried to imitate her move but lost his footing. He fell to his knees as the floor heaved, buckled, then fell away.

Kim reacted instantly, turning in mid-air and stretching out towards him, knowing he was out of reach but trying anyway. "RON! NO!"

"KIM!" Ron cried as he plummeted into the darkness below.

----

End Chapter Six

----


	8. Chapter 7 : Intersections II

-------------------------------

KIM POSSIBLE: FUTURE IMPERFECT

Chapter Seven

"Intersections II"

-------------------------------

Kim scrambled to the edge of the large circular hole that had formed in the floor. "RON!" she screamed.

Thirty feet below, Ron rolled onto his belly. A thick cloud of dust and small white feathers puffed up around him, and he sneezed loudly. "I'm fine, KP!" he called back. "Lucky someone left these mattresses here!"

Rufus popped his head out of a pile of fluff and feathers. "Poofy!"

_Ron's luck, _Kim sighed in relief. _May it last forever._ "Are you sure you're okay?"

"You bet!" he said. "Be even better once you get me out of here."

"I'm on it!" Kim turned and looked around, searching for something to use as a rope. Nothing. "Ron, is there any other way out of there?"

"What? I mean, well," he looked around, "There _is_ a door."

"Try it."

Exchanging a look with Rufus, Ron walked over to the door and gave the massive iron knob a twist. "It's locked!"

"There's nothing here to use as a rope, Ron," she admitted. "I can't get you out right now."

Ron blinked. "Oh, great." He glanced down at Rufus, who shrugged. "Go on without me, KP."

"What?"

"You said it yourself - Will's in trouble." Ron sat down on a mattress, unleashing another cloud of feathers. "Go save him, then the two of you come back and get me."

"Ron, I can't... I mean, what about you?"

"I'll be fine, KP. Honest." He smiled up at her. "Go get Will."

Kim stood and looked down at Ron's smiling face. _Perhaps this **is** for the best. He'll be safe down there. Safer than up here. _"Okay, Ron, you win. I'll be back. I promise."

Ron waved. "Sure thing, KP!" He watched her turn and disappear from view. As an afterthought, he added, "And don't forget about me!" Ron sighed and slumped his shoulders. He almost wished that Kim would have put up more resistance to the idea of leaving him alone in a partially-collapsed basement.

Perched on his shoulder, Rufus looked around and shuddered. "Spooky," the mole-rat said.

_Okay, not quite alone, _Ron conceded. Looking around, he had to agree. Cobwebs draped every surface, and the fires above caused inky shadows to dance in the corners. "Very spooky," Ron said with a nod. "I guess Killigan doesn't do much cleaning."

Rufus searched around and produced a large broom. "Room service."

"Wonderful," Ron said, taking the broom from the mole-rat's paws, "I don't suppose you can find a ladder or something in here?"

Rufus put his paws on his hips and frowned. "Slave driver!"

Ron shrugged. "I'm simply acknowledging my own limitations."

Behind him, one of the shadows coughed.

Ron crossed the distance between himself and the far wall with a single fear-induced leap and a loud scream, slamming face-first into the ancient masonry. The stone and mortar crumbled beneath his fingers, foiling his attempts to climb out. Turning around nervously, knees knocking, Ron peered into the darkness. "H-hello? Anyb-body there?"

_No answer,_ Ron mused. _Big surprise._

Rufus emerged from Ron's pocket with a small flashlight. "Thanks, buddy," Ron said, "I was wondering where that thing got off to." Clicking on the light, Ron aimed the quavering beam into the shadows where the sound had come from.

Nothing.

He laughed nervously. "Heh. Just my imagination, I guess."

To his left, another cough echoes from the darkness.

Ron spun, the light swinging wildly as he did so, the brief strobe of illumination highlighting a body lying amongst the crumbled rubble piled there. "Yo, KP!" Ron called through the opening in the ceiling, "I've changed my mind! GET ME OUTTA HERE!"

"I think," a gravelly, familiar-yet-not voice said from the darkness, "That she's too far away to hear you."

Ron nodded absently. "I know. But I can be really loud when I have to be."

That drew a dry chuckle. "I seem to remember that."

Nervousness abating somewhat, Ron hefted the flashlight and slowly made his way over to the voice's owner, who was lying on the floor beside a shattered wooden crate filled with equally shattered pottery. Ron blinked. "Will?"

"Yes," Will Du rose up on his elbows and looked at Ron sadly, "And no. Been a long time, Ron."

"Sure seems like it, doesn't it?" Ron crouched down beside the man, eyebrows arched. "What happened? I mean, KP's out there looking for you, and you're down here with me. And you... your clothes... your hair... have you always had a goatee?"

"Damned woman got the jump on me, again." Will reached up and gingerly touched the knot on the back of his head. "Listen, Ron. There's some much you need to know, but we don't have any time. We need to stop her."

"Stop who?"

"Kimberly," Will replied. "She's going to steal the jet you flew in on. We have to stop her."

Ron frowned. "Kim.... steal?"

Will sighed. "I know this is hard to follow, but you have to believe me, Ron. It's the only way off the island now, and she needs to get off the island. The logic is sound."

Ron shook his head. "Kim wouldn't steal. She just wouldn't."

"Not the Kim you know," Will replied, "But the Kim _I_ know would."

"What?"

"People change, Ron. Time has a way of doing that."

"It's only been a couple of minutes," Ron protested.

Will rubbed his face. "For you, maybe."

"My head is starting to hurt," Ron said.

Will thought for a moment. _Oh, what the hell. _"Ron, do you believe in time travel?"

Ron shrugged. "Sure. Happens on Star Trek all the time."

"Right. Well, _I'm_ from the future, Ron. Fifteen years, roughly."

Rufus whistled. "Long time."

"You have no idea," Will agreed.

"From the future, huh?" Ron rubbed his chin. "Can you prove it?"

Will nodded. "Two words : Yori Akemi."

Ron's eyes widened. "How do you... I never told..."

"I'll meet her in two years. A combined operation against Monte Fiske and his army of monkey ninjas." He turned to stare at Ron, who was blinking in confusion. "This is important, Ron. I didn't travel back alone. Kim came, too."

"Two Kims?" Ron breathed, eyes glazing. "That's amazing... and scary. Wow."

"More than you can possibly imagine." Will frowned, unsure how much to reveal. "She's not the same as the Kim you know, Ron. She's changed."

Ron shrugged. "Things change. KP is eternal. Nothing could ever change her."

_Oh, Ron. If you only knew._ "I wish you were right. But she _has_ changed, and not for the better." Will closed his eyes and lay back on the ground, his head pounding mercilessly. "She's gone rogue, Ron."

Ron thought for a moment. "X-Men style Rogue, or...?"

"Mercenary-style rogue," Will corrected.

"Ah," Ron replied, nodding. "I don't believe it."

"Ron..."

"I don't believe it. Kim is good. Always has been." He turned away. "And _always_ will be."

"You don't believe me, then?"

"No. Time travel? Sure. Fifteen years? Sure." Ron looked over his shoulder at Will. "Evil Kim? Not gonna happen."

Will climbed to his feet, favoring his re-injured leg. "There's one way to find out."

Ron turned around. "What would that be?"

"Let's go to the jet. See if she's there. See which one of us is right about her."

Ron thought for a moment. "Okay. But only so you'll see how wrong you are." Ron turned and looked up at the ragged hole in the ceiling. "Of course, we've got to get out of here first."

Will smiled. "I think I can come up with something." Smile fading, he silently added, _Please, God, don't let this be a mistake._

----

Kim crept up to the doorway, mindful of the wisps of smoke curling up around the edges. She pushed gently on the door, then jumped to the side as the door tipped outwards and slammed onto the floor with a deafening crash. Peering through the opening, Kim's stomach churned as smoke and other less pleasant smells assaulted her senses.

"Kimberly?"

Her eyes went wide as Will moved into view from behind the remains of a large wooden crate. "Will? My God, you're alive!"

"Obviously," came the droll reply. He made a show of flicking bits of Killigan off of his uniform. "Although I am in desperate need of a very long, _very_ hot shower."

"But how?"

"Fortunately there was only one crate of Killigan's 'special' golf balls stored here. The rest were normal, inert balls. I ducked behind them at the last moment, and they shielded me from the majority of the blast." He grimaced. "The... uh... 'shrapnel', however, was less easily avoided."

She shuddered at the thought. "Did you see her?" Kim asked, "The one who did... this?"

Will looked at her, eyes unreadable. "Oh, yes. Actually thought it was you for a moment. More than a moment. A very convincing duplicate."

"What changed your mind?"

He motioned to the room around them, spattered with bits and pieces of the former mad golfer. "This," he said simply. "It takes a certain type of individual to do something like this. Among other things." He turned to look at her. "And you're not that type."

She stepped aside as he emerged from the room. "What now?"

"We need to find her. Keep tabs on her until backup arrives." He glanced at her. "I faced her. Fought her. She... she is quite formidable."

Kim blinked at that. "Meaning..."

"Meaning we can't-" A piercing tone interrupted them. Will pulled a small beeper-like device from his belt and stared at the display in disbelief. "The jet!"

Kim nodded. "Come on!"

_----_

Ron and Future Will (dubbed thus by Ron to help identify him from Present Will) came upon the Global Justice jet, the two of them hidden from view behind a partially-collapsed wall. From the cockpit, a female voice could be heard, softly singing an unrecognizable tune. Ron glanced at Future Will, eyes showing his uncertainty. "Tell me again why this is a good idea?"

"You'll have to trust me on this for now, Ron," Will replied. "Distract her while I move around behind her. You won't need to do anything else, I'll handle it."

"If you say so, but this still feels wrong," Ron complained.

Will didn't reply, simply shooing him on with a wave of his hand and then walking quietly around to the other side of the aircraft.

Ron, for his part, was having major second thoughts. Something odd was going on, more odd than anything else he had ever experienced, and while he knew that he wasn't quite sharp enough to know what, his instincts were telling him in no uncertain terms that anywhere else would be a much better place than where he was at that moment. Still, he had to prove to Future Will (and, also, to Present Will, wherever he was) that Kim was no criminal, and could never be one. Setting Rufus down on the ground, Ron whispered, "Stay here, buddy. Watch my back."

Rufus saluted. "Gotcha!"

Ron stepped into the open and cleared his throat. "H-h-hello? Is th-that you, KP?"

Inside the cockpit, the singing stopped.

"Y-yo, KP!" Ron called again.

The person in the cockpit leapt out, somersaulting through the air and landing with amazing grace in a crouched position, left leg straight out to the side, right leg curled up beneath. Ron blinked, his eyes taking in the sight, opened his mouth to speak, but his voice died in his throat, emerging as nothing more than a soft squeak. The woman slowly rose to her feet, eyes never leaving Ron's face, her gaze boring into his own with such intensity that he could actually _feel_ it. It was as if he were paralyzed - he couldn't move, couldn't turn from that gaze.

Ron took in every detail, every curve, every motion. The hair - right color, but much shorter, like Mrs. Dr. P's hair. The face - the same as _his_ Kim, but more gaunt, with four scars running diagonally across her face and eyes, which were a much, much darker shade of green than his Kim. The body - a bit taller, a lot leaner, even more athletic. Ron blinked. _This is what Kim from the future is supposed to look like?_

"Ron?" she said softly, voice quaking.

Ron's eyebrows rose in surprise. _Kim's voice._ "Yeah, yeah, KP. Who else did you expect?"

Her left hand rose tentatively, fingers trembling, "Is it really... can it be..."

He held his hands out, smiled despite his fear, hoped that his teeth weren't chattering. "It's me, KP."

"No one's called me that since..." Scant inches from touching, her fingers recoiled. "No," she said, pulling back. "No. You're Ron, but you're not Ron. Not my Ron. Not _my_ Ron."

_What? _Ron blinked. "You found another Ron?"

"Never!" she hissed, putting a hand to the side of her head. "You don't understand. You don't _know._"

He stepped towards her. "Tell me."

She looked up at him, the conflicting emotions evident on her face. "Tell...?"

At that moment, Future Will leapt from the cockpit, aiming to tackle her where she stood. She spun around at the last moment and batted him away as easily as one would bat away an errant beach ball. Will hit the ground with a sickening _THUD_ and rolled to a stop at the base of the broken wall. Kim turned fiery eyes to Ron, then stalked over to Will's unmoving form. Grabbing him by the throat, she lifted him off the ground. "You're beginning to really _piss me off,_ Will!" she growled, cocking her right fist back. Will's eyes sprang open, his hands flying up, trying to pry himself free from her grip. Her hand began to glow with reddish fire.

"NO!" Ron shouted, running forward. Her head snapped around to look at him, and he skidded to a stop. "Don't do this, KP!" Ron pleaded, "This isn't you. This isn't _you!_" The anger in her eyes abated somewhat, and he decided to press his luck. "Kim Possible can do anything. But she doesn't kill. Not the Kim that I know."

_She's not the same as the Kim you know, Ron. She's changed._

Ron blinked as Will's words came back to him. "Not the Kim I know," he whispered, slowly backing away. "You're not Kim Possible."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "Don't say that."

"It's true," he insisted. "You look like Kim, you sound like Kim... but you're not Kim. Not _my_ Kim. You can't be."

"DON'T SAY THAT!" Dropping Will to the ground, she turned around and began walking towards Ron, matching his pace. "How can you say that, Ron? How?"

"Have you looked at this place lately?" Ron asked. "Fire and death and destruction? This isn't what Kim Possible is about."

She looked around. "It's for the greater good. _Our_ good." She turned back to face him. "We had it all, Ron. We had it _all._ Our families. Our friends." She held her hands across her chest. "Each other," she added softly.

_Say what?_ Ron frowned. "Then why...?"

"Because they took it all away!" she shouted. "Our friends, gone! Our families, gone! Everything we ever wanted, everything we ever dreamed, all gone!" Her eyes flared, glowing a brilliant shade of green. "And then they took _you._"

Ron bumped against a still-standing part of the wall. _This is getting seriously freaky. _Swallowing loudly, he tried to keep his voice level as she drew face-to-face with him. "And all of this is for... what? Revenge?"

She laughed, the gleam in her eyes brightening. "Revenge? I've already had my revenge. On all of them, each and every one. And all the ones who would follow in their stead. No, this... this, I'm doing for _us._"

"Us?" Ron squeaked as she stood before him, her hands twitching.

"Us," she said throatily. "They took it all away from us. Well, I'm taking it back. I want it all back. I want _you_ back." She moved close, pressed her forehead against his. "I want you..." she whispered, her breath hot against his cheek.

_Oh, boy. _Ron reached up and gently grasped her wrists. "I... uh... I really appreciate that. I really do. But how..."

She pulled away from him and turned back to the jet, her entire body trembling. "I... I'll stop them. Keep them from doing it again." She looked over her shoulder at him, grinning happily. "And then everything will be back to the way it was _supposed_ to be. You'll see. It'll all be worth it."

"And how... uh... how many more do you plan to...?"

She shrugged. "Not many. Five more. Hardest one will be next, not that that's saying much." She held up her right hand, which pulsed with licks of reddish energy. "Can't wait to treat her to a dose of her own medicine."

Ron frowned. "Medicine? What-"

"RON!" Kim - _his_ Kim - cried out in the distance. He looked, saw her racing towards them. When he turned back, the other Kim was already in the cockpit. He winced as the engines roared to life with a piercing whine. Future Kim looked over at him, reached up a hand and waved, smiled as the aircraft began to move.

Ron dove for cover as the afterburners kicked in. Crouched behind a pile of rubble, he waited until the ground stopped shaking and the ringing in his ears had faded to a tolerable level before daring to look around.

Kim and Will - Present Will, Ron noticed - were standing in spot were the Global Justice jet had been parked. There was no sign of Future Will anywhere. He turned and was about to say something to Kim and Will when a pink projectile slammed into his chest. "Rufus!" he cried, holding the naked mole rat in the air. "I was wondering where you got off to!"

"Freaky lady," Rufus said with a shiver.

Ron nodded. "Definitely."

"Ron!" Kim cried, wrapping him in a crushing embrace. "What in the world were you trying to do? You could've been killed!"

Ron felt his face flush. "I was... uh... improvising."

"You were lucky." Present Will stepped up to him. "What did she say to you?"

Ron tucked Rufus in his pocket and sighed. Looking up, he spotted Future Will crouched amidst the rubble, pointing to himself and making slashing motions with his hands. "She... uh... she said that she's _you,_ KP."

Kim straightened. "Me?"

"From the future," Ron added. "Fifteen years."

"The future," Will said slowly. "Right."

"Hey, you asked what she said." Ron crossed his arms over his chest.

Kim placed a hand on Ron's shoulder. "It's alright, Ron. Did she say anything else?"

"Plenty." Ron looked up at the sky. The Global Justice jet was nowhere to be seen. "She said that she was going to make things right. To make things the way they were supposed to be."

Kim paled. "You'll see. It'll all be worth it," she said softly.

Ron blinked. "Exactly."

"How did you...?" Will began.

Kim shook her head. "It's not important. Ron, did she say anything about where she's going next? This is important."

Ron thought for a moment. "There was something right before she left. How did she put it? Uh..."

"Medicine?" Kim prodded, face ashen.

"That's it!" Ron said, snapping his fingers. "She said that she was going to give somebody a taste of her own medicine. Her hand was glowing when she said it. Some funky red fire or something."

"Plasma," Kim corrected. She shrugged at Will's questioning glance. "It was jamming your comm."

Will frowned. "So the next target uses plasma energy in some manner."

"I can only think of one," Kim stated. "Shego."

Will nodded and stepped to the side, speaking softly into his comm.

Kim pulled out the Kimmunicator. "Wade, I need to know Shego's current location. And we need a ride, fast!"

"On it, Kim," Wade replied. He rapidly tapped commands into his system. "Shego's last know location was... Rio de Janeiro."

"Rio de Janeiro?" Will asked, puzzled.

"Sunbathing," Kim said. "Not that it helps."

"There's a high-speed courier in your area. I can arrange for them to pick you up. They can be there in less than five minutes." Wade frowned. "Only enough room for two passengers, however."

"There's a Global Justice aircraft on the way," Will said. "Enough room for all of us, but it won't arrive for another thirty minutes."

Ron glanced up to where he had last seen Future Will. With a sigh, he said "Go on without me."

Kim looked at him. "What?"

Ron smiled. "Go without me. You need to get to Shego before the ... uh... the other 'you' does."

"And leave you here alone?" Kim shook her head. "I don't think so."

"He has a point," Will said. "Time is of the essence. We need to keep on her trail. My aircraft has a tracking device. If we leave now, we may be able to intercept her before she can do any more damage."

"But-"

Will shook his head. "How long did it take her to do all of this?" he said, motioning to the ruined castle. "We have no time."

Kim turned worried eyes to Ron. "I'll be fine, KP. I'll wait for the next ride. Mean time, me and Rufus will sit and enjoy the view."

"Smoky," Rufus pointed out.

Ron sighed. "I was talking about the ocean."

Kim shook her head. "Wade, call in that courier."

"They're almost there now, Kim." Wade smiled. "And I've locked onto the tracking signal from the Global Justice aircraft. Current course is straight for Rio de Janeiro."

"You're the best, Wade. Thanks."

Will cleared his throat. "A Global Justice investigative team will be arriving soon. I've arranged for them to get you back to Middleton."

"Middleton? But I want to go where you guys are going to be," Ron protested.

"Hopefully, this will be over long before you could rendezvous with us." Will shrugged.

"Kim?" Ron asked, looking at her.

She nodded slowly. "Will's right, Ron. This is the best way. Trust me."

"I do. It's just..." A rising roar to the east announced the arrival of the aircraft. Ron whistled. "Wade wasn't kidding, was he?"

----

Future Will stepped out into the open as the courier accelerated down the grassy field and lifted into the air. "Thanks for not revealing me," he said.

"Don't thank me," Ron said, turning around to face him. "My best friend is going to try and catch a wacked-out future version of herself, and I can't be there to help. I want to know what's going on, and I want to know _NOW._"

Will looked at him for several moments before slowly nodding. _That's more like the Ron I remember. _"All right. I'll tell you."

----

End Chapter Seven

----


End file.
